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Execution of 2011 budget faces challenges – CSPR

Execution of 2011 budget faces challenges – CSPR
By George Zulu in Monze
Thu 14 Oct. 2010, 04:00 CAT

CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) vice chairperson Partner Siabutuba has said the execution of the 2011 national budget faces a lot of challenges because there is no political will in the fight against corruption and abuse of public funds.

In an interview, Siabutuba said it would be difficult for the government to implement and execute the 2011 budget without putting in place the mechanism to fight abuse of public funds and corruption.

“From the face value it gives a good budget for any economically oriented country in terms of figures. However, the challenge will remain obvious especially that donors have decided to reduce their commitment,” he said. “In other words donors have decided to pull out because they are frustrated, they are not respected by the current leadership.”

Siabutuba said Zambia had for a long time now been experiencing abuse of both locally organised and donors’ funded resources without any government commitment to fight the vice.

“History is a big lesson enough for us because we have seen a lot of abuse of locally organised resources; we have seen a lot of abuse on donor contributed funds, so it doesn’t matter whether it is a K20.5 trillion budget, there should be financial discipline among government officials,” he said.

Siabutuba said levels of abuse of public funds as presented annually by the Auditor General was another area government had failed to address, adding that it was a source of concern and a challenge to the implementation of next year’s budget.

“Money is still abused and this still remains a thorn which government needs to address. Government needs to look at how they will ensure that tax-payers money does not find itself into irresponsible hands. This remains a thorn into the national developmental processes, so even if it is a good budget and we don’t address the issues of corruption and the issue of abuse of public funds, then we are not going anywhere,” he said.

Siabutuba said the donors’ reduction of their budgetary contribution to Zambia was enough warning that the trend could continue down the line in the process of implementing the national budget.

“You have also seen that the British government has moved its visa office to Pretoria, if you want to acquire your visa. How can that be done? So for me these are issues which are pointing directly to poor and pathetic government donor relations in terms of budgetary implementation and execution,” he said.

“Donors might continue pulling out because they are frustrated. We have not been accountable, we have been irresponsible in the way we have been managing their funds, we have been irresponsible in the manner we have been responding to their demands for accountability. Donors have been asking government to present accountability in the manner we have been using their funds but we respond by asking them to pack their bags and go. Those are the answers donors are not going to entertain, they may not respond directly but actions speak louder than words and we are beginning to see those things.”

Siabutuba said it was time government apologised to donors for their past mistakes because President Rupiah Banda and his government had committed serious economic crimes by abusing donor funds.

Labels: 2011 BUDGET, CSPR, PARTNER SIABUTUBA

posted by MrK @ 3:12 PM