Opinion / Columnist
Action on Public Audit results urgent and mandatory now
31 May 2016 at 11:59hrs | Views
The Auditor General's Office (AGO) is formally engaged in executing a sterling job of auditing and exposing rot, misappropriation of funds, and corruption in public entities, but there is little or no commensurate action is applied to address, and/or compliment such effort for the good of the nation.
The recent revelations by the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PPAC), chaired by Honourable Paurina Mpariwa, is amazing and nerve-tinkling. It is inundating to realise that Parliament receives such crucial information from the Auditor General, Ms Mildred Chiri, regularly, and it opts to ignore the criminality at the expense of the whole nation.
Ideally, AGO reinforces Government operations by identifying grey corners that need attention and concentration on crevices. If public funds are misused or misdirected, certainly, Parliament has an indispensible legal obligation to work hard by complimenting the Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, who is spending sleepless nights hunting for cash to keep the nation going, by plugging all perforations as well as ensuring that available funds are put to good use.
The strategy is simple here, once the Auditor General exposes rotten apples in the basket in her reports to parliament, the next route is to apprehend the culprits, and drag them before courts for justice to take its course. If there is need for further investigations on corruption, recommendations can be made for the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZAC), to do due diligence before prosecution is instituted.
In the case of legal loop-holes as noted by the PPAC, the Parliament is compelled to table down suitable re-alignments of the relevant statutory instruments in line with the new national constitution to empower appropriate national institutions to deal with such a cancer threatening to collapse our national systems.
Zimbabweans cannot afford to live another day with this rot in public enterprises like ministries, parastatals and local authorities. This should be expeditiously weeded out instantly to improve life-styles for the generality of the populace by investing public funds on public utilities like roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, poverty alleviation programmes, and all civil service delivery systems to benefit the entire nation, than to condone insatiable evil ambitions of selfish and corrupt officials in various bodies.
The most essential aspect to find lasting solutions to this problem is to motivate ZAC which currently needs the legislative blessing of the Law, and the universal participation of all stakeholders in our community. This is the only sure way of stamping out the gnawing nuisance of corruption which is threatening to tear apart our society. The worst current vice in this country is corruption which is characterising almost every public entity and the entirety of the corporate world.
The most effective way for anti-corruption commission to prevent the evil is to identify corruption areas and then promulgate policies, procedures and regulations that can seal loop-holes. In addition ZAC should also cast its eyes on public procurement unit, hiring, retention and promotion of public officials, management of public finances, and the construction of projects.
In the meantime, the ZAC's hands seem to be tied as there is an outstanding legal hurdle, which is fully catered for by the new constitution Section 255 subsection 3 which states that, 'The Government must ensure that, through legislative and other means, that the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission has power to recommend the arrest and secure the prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of corruption, abuse of power and other improper conduct which falls within the Commission's jurisdiction'
It is an optimistic anticipation that with the wide and special powers which can be provided for under the prospective re-alignment of the law in line with the constitutional provision, ZAC can be more formidable and powerful enough to curb corruption. The investigative measures to be adopted by ZAC can be more apparent and transparent for the good of the society as offenders can be arrested, tried and sentenced accordingly in the courts of justice.
The expected law can also empower the ordinary citizens by creating a platforms upon which they can also furnish the ZAC with relevant information or tips which can enhance them to execute their responsibilities.
However the buck stops with the Parliament to action accordingly.
---------------
Sparkleford Masiyambiri <sparklefordmasiyambiri@gmail.com
The recent revelations by the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PPAC), chaired by Honourable Paurina Mpariwa, is amazing and nerve-tinkling. It is inundating to realise that Parliament receives such crucial information from the Auditor General, Ms Mildred Chiri, regularly, and it opts to ignore the criminality at the expense of the whole nation.
Ideally, AGO reinforces Government operations by identifying grey corners that need attention and concentration on crevices. If public funds are misused or misdirected, certainly, Parliament has an indispensible legal obligation to work hard by complimenting the Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, who is spending sleepless nights hunting for cash to keep the nation going, by plugging all perforations as well as ensuring that available funds are put to good use.
The strategy is simple here, once the Auditor General exposes rotten apples in the basket in her reports to parliament, the next route is to apprehend the culprits, and drag them before courts for justice to take its course. If there is need for further investigations on corruption, recommendations can be made for the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZAC), to do due diligence before prosecution is instituted.
In the case of legal loop-holes as noted by the PPAC, the Parliament is compelled to table down suitable re-alignments of the relevant statutory instruments in line with the new national constitution to empower appropriate national institutions to deal with such a cancer threatening to collapse our national systems.
Zimbabweans cannot afford to live another day with this rot in public enterprises like ministries, parastatals and local authorities. This should be expeditiously weeded out instantly to improve life-styles for the generality of the populace by investing public funds on public utilities like roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, poverty alleviation programmes, and all civil service delivery systems to benefit the entire nation, than to condone insatiable evil ambitions of selfish and corrupt officials in various bodies.
The most essential aspect to find lasting solutions to this problem is to motivate ZAC which currently needs the legislative blessing of the Law, and the universal participation of all stakeholders in our community. This is the only sure way of stamping out the gnawing nuisance of corruption which is threatening to tear apart our society. The worst current vice in this country is corruption which is characterising almost every public entity and the entirety of the corporate world.
The most effective way for anti-corruption commission to prevent the evil is to identify corruption areas and then promulgate policies, procedures and regulations that can seal loop-holes. In addition ZAC should also cast its eyes on public procurement unit, hiring, retention and promotion of public officials, management of public finances, and the construction of projects.
In the meantime, the ZAC's hands seem to be tied as there is an outstanding legal hurdle, which is fully catered for by the new constitution Section 255 subsection 3 which states that, 'The Government must ensure that, through legislative and other means, that the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission has power to recommend the arrest and secure the prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of corruption, abuse of power and other improper conduct which falls within the Commission's jurisdiction'
It is an optimistic anticipation that with the wide and special powers which can be provided for under the prospective re-alignment of the law in line with the constitutional provision, ZAC can be more formidable and powerful enough to curb corruption. The investigative measures to be adopted by ZAC can be more apparent and transparent for the good of the society as offenders can be arrested, tried and sentenced accordingly in the courts of justice.
The expected law can also empower the ordinary citizens by creating a platforms upon which they can also furnish the ZAC with relevant information or tips which can enhance them to execute their responsibilities.
However the buck stops with the Parliament to action accordingly.
---------------
Sparkleford Masiyambiri <sparklefordmasiyambiri@gmail.com
Source - Sparkleford Masiyambiri
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
