Wednesday, 16 July 2003  
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Enhancing public sector accountability

With corruption in public life proving a prime national concern and point of public debate, we welcome measures announced by the Government to strengthen State sector accountability. Particularly welcome is legislation aimed at widening the administrative and financial independence of the Auditor General - an institution charged with enhancing accountability and transparency in public sector financial transactions.

Over the years numerous public sector institutions have come under the increasing scrutiny of even our principal donor financial agencies on account of their decreasing financial viability and ineffectiveness as service providers. The panacea usually proposed for these ailing bodies is privatization and the reduction of the State's financial stake in them - processes which have come to be known popularly as "selling the family silver".

Under these arrangements, important public assets have come to be owned and managed by the private sector.

Putting these national assets "under the hammer", however, should be resorted to last and in the absence of alternatives. The better option would be to explore the possibility of improving their financial viability and strength by enhancing the accountability of the officials who guide their destinies. It would be in the public interest to remain as committed as we can to the fundamentals on which these institutions are expected to function: service to the public. On the other hand, private sector managements are actuated by the profit motive and not public service.

Accordingly, we welcome the State's plans to improve the financial viability and accountability of our public sector organisations. Particularly praiseworthy are the Government's moves to appoint Sectoral Committees of Parliament for the overseeing of these organisations and for enhancing their accountability to the legislature and, indirectly, to the people.

Two such legislative bodies which are already operative are the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Public Enterprises. The appointment of opposition Members of Parliament to the helm of these bodies would help greatly in the vital task of rendering them transparent and effective. We call on the opposition to cooperate with the Government in this important undertaking in view of the fact that the public interest is served greatly in the process. This is also a welcome step in strengthening the legislative arm of government - an aim which no one who cares for popular sovereignty would quarrel with.

Parliament and the Auditor General's Department could be considered a formidable duo in this task of protecting the national interest. We are aware that there have been occasions in the past where audited accounts and performance reports of some government institutions have not been submitted for parliamentary scrutiny for years.

This is a serious dereliction of duty. What should be inferred is that these public bodies have operated behind an opaque screen of secrecy for the period of time in question. Small wonder that massive financial irregularities have been found to be rife in some of these organisations.

We hope that the new regulations on accountability - such as the periodic and compulsory submission of audited accounts to Parliament by these institutions - would be implemented effectively to stem the current of financial irregularities.

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