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Government and Administration in Zambia Exam Type Questions and Answers
Government and Administration in Zambia Exam Type Questions and Answers
Government and Administration in Zambia Exam Type Questions and Answers
AND ANSWERS
Answer
The alternative would be the pluralist approach. This is because, the approach suggests that
governance of the country is not left to a few individuals (as it is in the elitist approach), but
rather the wider society should participate in making policies that governs the. This approach
suggests that to be able to influence policy decisions citizens should join civil society
organisations such as political parties, churches, labour unions among others. These groups
advance demands, ideas, suggestions or criticism to the executive branch of the government for
example, the executive through cabinet examines the suggestions also known as inputs to see
what response or solution it can come up with, then after coming up with the best alternative also
known as output, it communicates to the groups that earlier raised the problems.
Merits
Demerits
- The pluralist model is not appropriate for emergency decisions because of its delays to
arrive at consensus through wider consultation.
- Even individuals who do not know anything on a particular policy issue would want to be
consulted.
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Q2 Identify practical examples in Zambia when the Elitist model to decision making has
been found necessary.
Answer
The word ELITE refers to a small group of individuals who, by virtue of the positions they hold
in a particular organization, wield a lot of power and authority. The elite can be subdivided into
two: The Political elite and the civil elite. The political elite are the elected officials such as the
President, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and Councilors.
The civil elite are civil servants, without electoral mandate, largely appointed on the basis of
their educational and professional attainments. The two groups, the political and civil elite, work
together in making policy decisions to guide the affairs of a country.
Merits
The elite are defended for making certain decisions without involving many other citizens
because of the following reasons:
The elite, particularly the elected officials, are representatives of the citizenry.
They tend to, especially the civil elite, be better educated than most ordinary citizens.
They, the elected officials, especially the president, often have more classified
information relevant for decision making which ordinary citizens do not have.
Some decisions may be of emergency nature whose delay to make thorough slow, wide
consultation can be costly to the nation.
Consensus building tends to be easier and faster when debate is confined to a smaller
group.
Demerits
The elitist model is less democratic, since it does not encourage wide social participation
in policy making.
Fewer people means fewer ideas. Hence national policies may leave out important issues
which may be known better by those outside government circles.
The elitist model can make implementation difficult if there is no feeling among the
wider society of collective ownership of policies.
They make governance easier since the follower-ship quickly identify who those in
leadership positions, holding ranks are. Insignias’, hence, are good for discipline
Insignia are also good for accountability. They make it easier to pinpoint who did what
by, for example, looking at the specific uniform members of a certain organization wear.
Insignia create esprit-de corps- the pride and love of belonging to an organization.
They create a sense of emotional or psychological satisfaction among some people, who,
as a result, may work harder.
Q4 WHEN AND WHY WOULD YOU USE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SANCTIONS
IF YOU WERE HOLDING A POSITION OF GOVERNANCE IN ZAMBIA?
Answer
Positive and negative sanctions can used in times when a top leader is trying to compel
obedience of the followership and change their behavior.
Positive sanction can be inform of the following;
- Rewards given to those deemed to be loyal to the governing elite, for example mumbi
phiri, who was rewarded with a position in parliament by the president for being
supportive to the governing political party (PF)
Negative sanctions can also be in form of the following;
- Penalties imposed on those deemed to be disloyal to the governing elite, for example Dr
CHISHIMBA KAMBWILI, who was fired or dismissed from his ministerial position by
the president for his disloyalty towards the governing elite. However, it should be noted
THE EXECUTIVE
The Constitution of Zambia (amended) creates the office of the President of the Republic of
Zambia and grants him the leadership of the State and the Government and he is also
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Article 91(2) of the Amended Constitution of Zambia
vests the Executive powers in the President of the Republic of Zambia, which he can exercise
either directly or through his subordinate officers, such as the Cabinet Ministers, who are
appointed by the President himself from amongst the members of the National Assembly and the
Vice-President. The Executive is composed of the President, the Vice-President, Cabinet
Ministers, and all Civil Servants. The Executive powers or functions includes formulating
policies and makes sure they are implemented; it includes the initiation of Legislation,
maintenance of law and order, the direction of foreign policies, the enhancement of economic
and social welfare and the carrying of general administration of the State. In other words the
major function of the Executive is to carry out the law.
THE LEGISLATURE
According to Article 62(2) of the Amended Constitution of Zambia the Legislative powers of the
Republic of Zambia is vested into Parliament, which consists of the President and National
Assembly. Article 68(2), the National Assembly shall consist of hundred and fifty-six elected
members from whom the President appoints the Ministers to his Cabinet, not more than eight
nominated members appointed by the President to increase his influence during the National
Assembly debate sessions and the Speaker of the National Assembly. Article 63(1) of the
Amended Constitution provides that the Legislative power of Parliament shall be exercised by
Bill passed by National Assembly and Assented to by the President. Where a Bill is presented to
the President for Assent, the President has the power to either Assent or Veto the Bill. Article
66(1) provides that, where the president withholds his Assent to the Bill, the President may
THE JUDICIARY
The doctrine of separation of powers has in form found nearly unadulterated application in the
relationship between the Judiciary and other arms of Government. Article 119(1) of the Amended
Constitution of Zambia vests the Adjudicative powers of the Republic in:
Article 122(1) of the Amended Constitution of Zambia states that; the Judiciary shall be subject
only to the Constitution and the Law and not be subject to the control or direction of a person or
an Authority. It goes future to provide that Judges, Judicial officers, Magistrates and Justices as
case maybe of courts mentioned in Article 119(1) shall be independent, impartial and subject
only to the Constitution and Law and shall conduct themselves in accordance with a code of
conduct promulgated by Parliament. The Constitution further strengthens the independence of
the Judiciary by providing for specific instances and procedure under which judges can be
FUSION OF POWER
In Zambia as we can see there is no strict separation of powers, there is instead the fusion of
powers. For example Cabinet Ministers who are members of the Executive are appointed from
the National Assembly by the President, which makes the members of both the Executive and the
Legislature. The President by appending his Assent to the Bills before they become Law also
connects himself to the Legislature. There is also the fusion of power between the Executive and
the Judiciary, for instance the President appoints all High and Supreme court Judges and also by
using his prerogative of Mercy, in which he can change the verdict passed by the Judiciary or
In conclusion, though it has been noted that the doctrine of separation of powers has not
achieved its general application in Zambia is correct, that is not to say that it has completely not
been applied because in some instances generally speaking, it has been realized. For example
during criminal arrests, the police from the Executive organ of the Government will arrest
someone suspected to have committed a crime and then hand that person to the judiciary for
vindication using the laws passed by the Legislature and the handed back to the Executive to be
jailed.
Answer
The central government can create local authorities or divisions and delegate some functioning
powers to them and at the same time the central government as the power to abolish local
divisions.
Unitary states or republic like the country Zambia have the following:
- A single cabinet for the whole country, which is believed to be convenient for decision
making for the whole country.
- A single legislature for the whole country.
- A single judicial system for the whole country.
- A single law or constitution for the whole country.
- A flexible constitution which can be altered through periodic reviews.
- Uniform developmental plans for the whole country, for example road construction is
being done in all parts of Zambia.
- With fewer divisions, unitary system tend to be less expensive to administer.
- With fewer division administration coordination and communication tend to be easier.
- It works conveniently for smaller countries like Zambia, Malawi among others.
- It fosters national unity and acts as a check against secessions.
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Q8 COMPARE AND CONTRAS BETWEEN UNITARY AND FEDERAL
GOVERNEMENT SYSTEMS
Answer
federal Unitary
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1. power is distributed between federal and 1. all powers are concentrated at the top
the states central government
The government is an institution that run the affairs of the state towards safe-guarding the
interests of the governed, it has the monopoly of force to eliminate threats.
There are three organs through which the government exercises its powers in order to govern the
country, such as the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
The executive
This is the organ of the government which is composed of the president, the vice president,
cabinet ministers and all civil servants. The main functions of the executive are;
The legislature
The legislature is the organ of the government composed of the president, the speaker, the deputy
speaker and all members of parliament and its main functions are as follows;
The judiciary
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The judiciary organ of the government is practiced through the constitutional court, the Supreme
Court, the high court, industrial relations court, subordinate courts, local courts and other lower
courts as maybe prescribed by an Act of parliament. It is composed of the chief justice, deputy
chief justice, and director of public prosecution, all judges and all judicial officers. Its main
functions are as follows;
Answer
Power is the ability of the leadership, the political elite, to issue commands, for example in the
form of policy decisions, which have to be obeyed by the followership, the citizenry.
Being the first to arrive and the last to leave the work premises.
MERITS OF INFLUENCE
Influence is the most benign (friendly) form of power.
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It does not require verbal commands to ask the project team members to behave in the
expected manner.
Its objective is to convert many citizens into wannabes, followers, or imitators of the
leaders‟ desirable behavior. If influence fails to change the citizens‟ behavior, the
leadership can use the next form of power – persuasion.
PERSUASION
Persuasion is cognitive. It is intellectual, the ability of the leader to change the behavior of
the followership by giving them convincing reasons.
Persuasion may require quick thinking, quick conception of answers on the spar of the
moment in order to change attitudes of the followership and guide them into desirable
behavior.
It may also require researched facts before talking to the followership. Persuasion is often
used at public rallies, seminars, on radio, TV or in the print-media.
FORCE
Force is the application of violence to make the followership obey the commands of the
leadership.
Almost all modern states have constitutionally established institutions trained in the
application of violence to compel obedience.
The police, the army, the air-force and the navy are some of the legally established state
institutions for the use of violence.
Put together, they are referred to as the coercive state apparatus.
MERITS OF THE USE OF FORCE
Though destructive, violence, itself, can prevent the destruction of more life and
property.
It is often the last remedy used for resolving situations of lawlessness and anarchy.
It is often applied in stages, for instance, the use of water cannons first, then tear-gas,
rubber bullets and finally, if the situation warrants, live bullets on selected targets.
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AUTHORITY
Authority is the right or official permission to use power to issue commands in order to control
the behavior of the followership. Official permission is granted largely in three ways as follows:
Legal-Rational Authority- This is authority granted to the political elite, for instance, through
following the rules in the constitution, the highest law of the country.
Rational authority is derived from the ability of the leadership to make reasoned policy
decisions, largely resulting from training in the techniques of decision making. In other words,
modern education is vital for rational leadership.
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY
Traditional authority is granted to those who hold positions of leadership through customary
laws, beliefs and practices that have existed in particular communities for a long time.
Monarchies, chiefs and head men fall within that category of leadership. In many African
countries, some communities are patri-lineal, conferring leadership positions to the male lineage,
while matrilineal groups look on the female fork for leadership inheritance.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
Charismatic authority is characterized by certain gifts or talents some individuals may have. For
instance, some individuals have a fine, attractive and commanding personality. Oratory in public
speech, or performance in magic or witch-craft or sporting area which makes people marvel at
you and become willing and ready to listen to you and do as you would like them to do are other
attributes of charisma.
Some people may combine all three aspects of charisma. This may make it easier for them to
lead. Others may have only one or two aspects. Charisma often fades with the passage of time,
so that sooner or later an individual who attracted attention may lose that impressive following.
A charismatic leader may die, and the followership may be without an equally charismatic
successor, resulting in social dis-integration. Some leaders have used their charisma for misrule,
for instance despotism.
LEGITIMACY- is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or regime.
Legitimacy denotes a system of government that is widely accepted by the governed for example
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through a system of 50+ 1 voting system, were the part elected to power is considered to be a
legitimate elected party to form government, because the majority is said to have voted for it.
And this make governing easy because policy formulation and implementation will be easy and
unopposed by the citizens, for there will be willingness towards the addition of inputs needed for
the better formulation of the policies, citizens will have the will to participate in developmental
projects and goals at all levels, hence such an authority will be viewed as legitimate, for it will
have the right and justification to exercise power.
Q11 WRITE SCHOLARY NOTES ON ALL THE FOLLOWING
a) Civil service commission
b) Public service commission
c) Governance
d) Checks and balances in government
Answers
a) Civil service commission- this is the service responsible for the public administration of the
government of a country. It excludes the legislature, judiciary and the military branches.
Members of the civil service have no political allegiance and are not generally affected by the
change of government.
b) Public service commission- this is both a constitutional and statutory body responsible for
ensuring that appointments, promotion, discipline, retirement among others are done in
accordance with the prescribed guidelines and procedures.
c) Governance- this is the process of decision making and the process by which the decisions are
implemented.
d) checks and balances- the constitution divides the government into three branches, executive,
legislature, and judiciary, the point of checks and balances is to ensure that no branch of
government abuses its powers.
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Answer
The public service commission is the body that is constitutional and statutory responsible for the
appointments, promotion, transfer, discipline, and separation of personnel in accordance to the
law in the public service of Zambia.
Functions
- To appoint civil servants on probation, confirmation in appointments, promotion, transfer
among others.
- To carry out disciplinary procedures and remove any person from office if deemed to be
indiscipline
- To provide advice to the president in fashioning, policy and procedures of employment
and for conducting disciplinary procedures in the public service
- To implement and review the rules, policies and procedures of employment in the public
service.
- To act as a judgment body of the public service.
- To authorize and withhold any salary or pay of employees undergoing disciplinary
actions
Documents that guide their operations
- Service commission regulations- this is the book which guides the operations and
management of the service commission
- Disciplinary code and procedures for handling offences in the public service – this book
provides details on various offences, penalties and procedures for handling offences in
the public service
- Service commission policies and procedures for employment in the public service- this
book provides guideline for employment and administration in the public service
- Terms and conditions of services in the public service- this book provides a general
framework of what constitute conditions of service for public workers
- Code of ethic for public service- this book contains the dos and don’ts in the public
service
- Circular issued from time to time by the secretary to the cabinet, permanent secretary,
and public service management division.
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Q13 DISCUSS THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SPECIALIST AND
GENERALIST ADMINISTRATOR AND IN YOUR VIEW, WHICH POSITION WOULD
YOU GIVE TO THE TWO IN THE ORGANISATION.
Answer
Specialist administrators are expert functionaries who have devoted time and studies to a
particular branch of learning and have acquired specialized skills and knowledge that make them
identify and make decisions quickly. And so in an organization such positions like accountants,
engineering manager are suitable for specialists’ positions
Merits of specialists administrators
- They make quick decisions with fewer mistakes
- Specialists in emergency times are the ones needed in decision making
- Specialists tend to have relevant theoretical construct as a basis for practice in their
specific areas
- They are cost effective workers in the organization
- They reduce time wasting towards executing their operations
Demerits
- They are less consultative
- They are less inclusive and less involving
- They are less democratic in running their operations
- They tend to alienate themselves from their fellow workers.
- In time of job loss, specialist tend to find it difficult to find other jobs
Generalist administrators are those with a generally good level of liberal education without
particular focus. And so they can be suitable in the position of a general manager, for example at
the hospital, they have general doctors, who are the first to see every patient in the first place,
unless things are beyond the general doctor’s control that’s when the penitents are referred to the
specialist doctor.
Merits
- They are more consultative
- They are more interactive with many workers in the organization
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- They allow other workers to participate in decision making process, hence they are
democratic
- They also promote organisational unity
- They tend to be better coordinators in many organization
Demerits
- They tend to make many mistakes in their functions, if they try to work alone without
consultations
- Many mistakes can be deadly costly to an organization
- In their attempt to consult widely, they waste a lot of time
- They are not appropriate for emergency situations, since they take long to make decisions
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