PS urges accountability in public service

PS urges accountability in public service
By Simon Mutuna in Mansa
Fri 19 Aug. 2011, 10:30 CAT

A GOVERNMENT official in Luapula Province has urged the heads of government departments in the area to promote transparency, accountability and efficiency in the delivery of public services.

Provincial permanent secretary Stephen Bwalya said all the government heads of department in Luapula should take a leading role in developing programmes that would enhance transparency and accountability in the exercise of public authority.

Bwalya made the remarks during a workshop on the National Anti Corruption Policy organised by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) in Mansa.

He said all departmental heads must be able to facilitate the mainstreaming of anti-corruption interventions in their respective areas of operations.

He said the government placed the fight against corruption high on its agenda because its far-reaching negative efforts on the citizenry were well known.

Bwalya said if left unchecked, corruption would lead to poor governance, underdevelopment and would affect the people, especially the most economically disadvantaged.

He said the government realised the need to significantly enhance anti-corruption efforts by approving the National Anti Corruption Policy (NACP) which was launched in August last year by the President. Bwalya said the policy enabled all stakeholders to actively participate in the fight against corruption.

“This is a significant departure from the past where the anti-corruption challenge was perceived to be the responsibility of the Anti-Corruption Commission alone,” he said.

Bwalya said the policy would be implemented within the its five-year period, from 2010 to 2014, and all stakeholders including the departmental heads would be expected to take up an active role in the programme.

He urged the provincial government leaders to take responsibility to facilitate the implementation of institutional reforms that deter corruption especially at service delivery points where the public office interacts with the citizenry.

Bwalya said the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Policy had been achieved by the enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure - Protection of Whistleblowers Act, which would protect the people who submit reports on corruption.

And ACC regional manager, Chola Kasongo said the National Anti-Corruption Policy was very important to the lives and welfare of the people as corruption was an impediment to economic development. Kasongo said corruption was a vice that could not go unchecked, and concerted efforts in the implementation of the policy was important.