Maravi

Act on the Auditor General’s reports

Act on the Auditor General’s reports
Written by Editor

GOOD governance in both the public and private sectors is good for all people because it contributes to stability, economic development and encourages investment.

For Zambia to continue to develop, accountability and transparency is key because it offers good protection against abuse of public resources and corruption. This is why great importance should be attached to the role of the Office of the Auditor General.

However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the preparation of reports by the Auditor General's office in our country is slowly turning into an academic exercise.

We say so because every year, the Office of the Auditor General comes up with reports on government expenditure, indicating glaring abuse of public funds by public officials in different ministries and government departments. What is unsettling is the fact that despite all the effort put in place and all the resources - taxpayers' money - pumped in to undertake such a very important exercise, it seems authorities are taking a casual approach in ensuring that those linked to the abuse of public funds are investigated and proper action taken against them.

Over the last few years, there has been consistency in the publication of the Auditor General's reports, and the same old issues are raised. Every year, there are huge sums of money misapplied or unaccounted for by the public officers. And the 2007 Auditor General's report has been released. Yes, it is new and old at the same time. It is new in the sense of new data, but old in the sense of the same old story of shocking misappropriation of public funds due to sloppy accounting and personal gratifications. We have heard this story so many times before, despite repeated sentiments from the highest civil and political authorities that such corruption would be halted and offenders brought to book.

However, we cannot help but get extremely worried, concerned and upset about the billions of public funds being misused, especially in the light of the on-going economic problems such as the escalating cost of living affecting particularly the poor and job losses emanating from the mines due to slumping copper prices on the international market.

It is very clear that the work and reports of the Auditor General are not being taken seriously by our government and this situation needs to be seriously addressed. As long as various stakeholders and ordinary citizens in the country continue to ignore the apparent lack of accountability in public institutions, the problem will continue.

This kind of situation if left unchecked can end up being a permanent feature in our Auditor General's reports and has the potential to completely erode donor confidence, considering the fact that the country cannot entirely finance its own development projects without the assistance of the international community. We know very well that support from the donors comes with conditions attached, and key on their requirements is the issue of accountability.

It is sad, however, to note that misuse of public resources is becoming entrenched in the public service despite the considerable levels of awareness on the matter.

Government has also continued to assure the nation of its commitment to the fight against corruption and abuse of public resources. But it is worrying that the problem keeps rearing its ugly head in our reports and nothing is done against the culprits.

Could it be that the findings in the Auditor General's reports are mistaken, exaggerated, misinterpreted, falsified, politically construed? Could it be that the reports reflect the true picture especially in the public service? If they are truly factual and indeed disclosing serious mismanagement in many government offices across the country, why are culprits never taken to task to ensure that would-be offenders are deterred from doing so?

The question we are asking today, which many of the concerned citizens have asked, is: how many employees of the various ministries - from top ministers to the lower workers - have ever been reprimanded, penalised, dismissed, prosecuted or jailed based on reports of abuse of public funds in the Auditor General's reports?

If disciplinary action is never taken against those who divert designated funds; those who don't retire imprests; those who fail to account for large amounts of money, send money to foreign bank accounts without authorisation and so on and so forth, then how can we expect such criminal practices to be stopped?

We are regularly assured by top government officials that steps are being taken, but what is not clear is what direction those steps are taking and with what consequences. New systems here and there for more effective oversight of various accounts may help, but those who really want to embezzle, swindle and steal will usually find a way around even the best of technical systems!

How can Zambia expect co-operating partners to come up with aid packages when every time, reports by the Office of the Auditor General reveal billions of kwacha misapplied? Who will give flood relief money to a government that regularly misuses funds? How can high government officials travel overseas to woo support when here at home they don't seem to be able to control an environment of corruption that will waste that support? These are the questions that need serious and honest answers from the leadership of this country. It is not just about being elected and forgetting to solve the problems people are facing.

It is amazing the kind of development projects that can be worked on from the money that is being looted by our public workers. People in rural areas need hospitals, schools, clean and safe drinking water, good roads, just to name a few.

But all these basic facilities have always been a far-fetched dream for most of the rural communities because of a few selfish individuals in government who care less for the poor in society by taking whatever opportunity available to abuse public funds.

It will not be possible to achieve our development goals and lift the masses of our people from abject poverty, disease and ignorance without changing the way we manage public resources and affairs.

Millions of people are dying from curable diseases; they can't get medicines from clinics because someone abused public funds. Many more are dying from water-borne diseases - diseases that can never occur in a country where the government has prioritised water and sanitation as top on its agenda for human development, but these diseases have become common features for Zambia whenever the rainy season sets in - and sometimes even during the dry season.

Some schools around the country do not have desks and other teaching materials because money allocated to the education sector for such purposes has been diverted for personal gratification.

Our country will not deal with all these problems without political will and an effective and efficient public service, which will be above board in terms of dealing with corruption issues. For now, there is a lot of rot in the public service, and this cannot be denied looking at what is coming out of the Auditor General's reports every year.

Labels: AUDITOR GENERAL, BUDGET, CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 9:20 AM