THE Patriotic Front (PF) leadership in Eastern Province has written to President Michael Sata requesting him to rescind his decision to transfer Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Mwamba.

President Sata has swapped Mr Mwamba with his counterpart from Western Province Bert Mushala.

In a letter to President Sata, dated January 17, 2012 and availed to Times of Zambia in Chipata yesterday, the provincial PF leadership said Mr Mwamba should remain in the province.

This is contained in a letter signed by provincial acting vice information and publicity secretary Bright Chihana and provincial youth chairperson Makabaninso Maimisa.

The provincial PF leadership said that Eastern Province for a long time had suffered from the absence of a quality and effective permanent secretary to drive the provincial agenda, saying the coming of Mr Mwamba would have fostered effective development.

"The Eastern Province has for a long time suffered resistance from the civil service since the Patriotic Front(PF) formed Government and the coming of Mr Mwamba has seen the changing both the mindset and the working culture in the civil service," reads the letter in part.

The PF leadership said Mr Mwamba started a vigorous campaign to raise sanitation standards in the markets, saying the development was a good step in the right direction.

They said he had been interacting with church leaders which had helped the party and the Government in terms of development through unity.

The PF leadership said Mr Mwamba was always on the ground with chiefs and some traditional leaders who initially did not understand the PF manifesto were now able to appreciate it.