Ensuring accountability in the use of public funds
The Auditor-General has wide powers to scrutinise all the public accounts of Ghana and of public offices.
A few years ago, the Auditor-General’s Report on the public accounts of Ghana was always in arrears, to such an extent that the objectives of the audit were not achieved.
First of all, the report, which was to scrutinise the public accounts of the government, was released when the government was out of power.
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Secondly, the PAC, chaired by the Minority, sometimes reviewed reports of its own administration, thereby defeating the purpose of the committee sittings.
Anytime that happened, the PAC that must act in a bi-partisan manner was polarised, with its members taking entrenched positions based on their political affiliations.
This posture was exhibited last year when the PAC wanted to scrutinise the payment of judgement debts to certain institutions and individuals.
Some of the members of the committee rather went to the defence of those individuals, instead of defending the national interest, to the amazement of many people.
We think Parliament must demonstrate its independence by scrutinising the public accounts of the country, no matter which side of the political divide the members of the PAC belong to.
This development has not found favour with members of the public, who expect that the resources of the state would be applied judiciously for the good of all.
It is not good enough to take the position that any attempt to bring to book those who misapply public funds will undermine the credibility of those who administered the public funds.
The PAC is not a political party with a political agenda but a public institution mandated to ensure that public funds are judiciously utilised.
Every patriotic Ghanaian should take interest in the work of the PAC and encourage the members to discharge their duties to the best interest of the people.
In this vein, the Daily Graphic thinks President John Mahama was right when he cautioned the PAC not to use its public sitting as an avenue to create disaffection for or dent the image of governments.
Rather, it should come up with good recommendations which would promote transparency and accountability in the work of public servants.
Regrettably, no public servant has been penalised for misappropriating public funds as stated during the sittings of the PAC.
We recall that in the past, under previous administrations, the leadership gave directives for the prosecution of such public servants but there was ‘no show’.
A few weeks ago, President Mahama directed the Attorney-General to set up a committee to take the necessary steps to punish those cited for misappropriation in the Auditor-General’s Report. We shall follow up on this directive to ensure that public officials pay for their misdeeds.
The Daily Graphic appeals to the PAC and the government to take steps to protect public funds for the development of the country.
If Parliament, through the PAC, shirks its responsibility of holding the purse string of the government, it will be failing the people.
The Daily Graphic urges the PAC, and for that matter Parliament, to step up its efforts at compelling the government to account for all public funds of Ghana.
Furthermore, we call on the government to penalise public officials who embezzle public funds and stop such misdeed, so that it can mobilise the necessary resources to execute the mandate for which the people voted for the President and his team.
Daily Graphic/Ghana
