Financial indiscipline rocks Ministry of Home Affairs
By Pelekelo Liswaniso
WE are disturbed by reports of glaring financial irregularities in the Ministry of Home Affairs that were exposed by the Public Accounts committee in Parliament on Wednesday.
In fact, our heart bleeds to learn that billions of Kwacha have either gone missing or are unaccounted for by a law enforcement ministry.
Workers who observed Labour Day yesterday must have shuddered in disappointment to learn that some workers in the Ministry of Home Affairs were recklessly embezzling funds running into billions of Kwacha despite the difficulties the country was going through and worse still, when they are the ones who are supposed to be curbing such malpractices.
Honestly, how does one explain such high levels of indiscipline by a Ministry which is supposed to be in the forefront in enforcing the law? It is really shameful indeed.
The public officers in the Ministry of Home Affairs who are misusing or misapplying public funds are as bad as ordinary thieves because they are stealing from the people.
This is day-light robbery if workers can take advantage of the loopholes in the ministry and deliberately fail to account for public funds.
We understand that some of the financial irregularities at the ministry include failure by workers to process loss reports, unvouched expenditure, over-statement of prices, non-recovery of loans, missing payment vouchers, unsupported payment vouchers and delayed banking.
Other irregularities include variation of contract prices, undelivered motor vehicles paid for using public funds, irregular contracts, unreturned imprest and wasteful expenditure.
We are agree with Public Accounts Committee chairperson, Charles Milupi that the permanent secretary, Mrs Ndiyoyi Mutiti, who is the controlling officer, has a mammoth task before her and she must ensure that all culprits are brought to book.
Mrs Mutiti should adhere to the directive that she should submit all the names of the officers that have misused or misapplied public funds. We are all anxious to see proof of action that has been taken against the officers.
Their names must be submitted to Parliament without hesitation and even made public because after all, there is nothing sensitive about publicising names of people who embezzle public resources.
It would not be enough for the controlling officer to recover money from an officer who steals public funds but the affected officers must be dealt with according to the law.
The ministry has to be cleaned and order restored because they were tarnishing the good image of a hard working government.
It was only the other day when Acting Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning Daniel Bowasi assured the nation that government had made progress by implementing comprehensive reforms to promote transparency and accountability.
But with reports of such reckless financial mismanagement at the ministry of Home Affairs, the public will start wondering about the truth was and this will derail the good intentions of the government.
We appeal to higher authorities to move in and stop the rot at the ministry and we recommend that those officers who will be found wanting be dismissed immediately or better still be turned to the Police for prosecution because their behaviour is scandalous to say the least.
WE are disturbed by reports of glaring financial irregularities in the Ministry of Home Affairs that were exposed by the Public Accounts committee in Parliament on Wednesday.
In fact, our heart bleeds to learn that billions of Kwacha have either gone missing or are unaccounted for by a law enforcement ministry.
Workers who observed Labour Day yesterday must have shuddered in disappointment to learn that some workers in the Ministry of Home Affairs were recklessly embezzling funds running into billions of Kwacha despite the difficulties the country was going through and worse still, when they are the ones who are supposed to be curbing such malpractices.
Honestly, how does one explain such high levels of indiscipline by a Ministry which is supposed to be in the forefront in enforcing the law? It is really shameful indeed.
The public officers in the Ministry of Home Affairs who are misusing or misapplying public funds are as bad as ordinary thieves because they are stealing from the people.
This is day-light robbery if workers can take advantage of the loopholes in the ministry and deliberately fail to account for public funds.
We understand that some of the financial irregularities at the ministry include failure by workers to process loss reports, unvouched expenditure, over-statement of prices, non-recovery of loans, missing payment vouchers, unsupported payment vouchers and delayed banking.
Other irregularities include variation of contract prices, undelivered motor vehicles paid for using public funds, irregular contracts, unreturned imprest and wasteful expenditure.
We are agree with Public Accounts Committee chairperson, Charles Milupi that the permanent secretary, Mrs Ndiyoyi Mutiti, who is the controlling officer, has a mammoth task before her and she must ensure that all culprits are brought to book.
Mrs Mutiti should adhere to the directive that she should submit all the names of the officers that have misused or misapplied public funds. We are all anxious to see proof of action that has been taken against the officers.
Their names must be submitted to Parliament without hesitation and even made public because after all, there is nothing sensitive about publicising names of people who embezzle public resources.
It would not be enough for the controlling officer to recover money from an officer who steals public funds but the affected officers must be dealt with according to the law.
The ministry has to be cleaned and order restored because they were tarnishing the good image of a hard working government.
It was only the other day when Acting Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning Daniel Bowasi assured the nation that government had made progress by implementing comprehensive reforms to promote transparency and accountability.
But with reports of such reckless financial mismanagement at the ministry of Home Affairs, the public will start wondering about the truth was and this will derail the good intentions of the government.
We appeal to higher authorities to move in and stop the rot at the ministry and we recommend that those officers who will be found wanting be dismissed immediately or better still be turned to the Police for prosecution because their behaviour is scandalous to say the least.
posted by aydpels @ 10:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home