CALL FOR ACQUITTAL BY JAMES MARAPE TOO SHALLOW ON SHP I would like to call on the Minster for Finance Hon. James Marape not to go around requesting for acquittals from MPs and the provincial governments without sending audits and investigation teams to provinces to conduct audits as required by Public Finance Management Act. Southern Highlands Province has on two occasion call off two investigation teams from Department of Finance. According to the Public Finance Management Act, the Finance Minister and Secretary for Finance has the powers to withdraw any such engagements and I am questioning the position of the Finance Minister and his Finance Secretary as custodians to millions of public funds for not fully carrying out sanctioned and mandated duties. The acquittals submitted by provinces and district must be certifies by an audit team from the Department of Finance and Auditor General’s office to say that funds allocated for projects and programs for various sectors has been expedited accordingly, that in the end this data can be used as a basis to measure against government’s development targets and indicators. Why is the Minister and Secretary for Finance stopping audit team to go to SHP when the department of Finance is coordinating a significant audit program in the public sector referred to as “Public Sector Audit Program”. Southern Highlands Provincial Government does not have an internal audit team, even if it has one, politics have threatened their jobs hence sending an Audits team to the province would do justice for everyone as to how public moneys are utilised and expended. How can we improve the government governance process when we as custodians a side-tracking for our mandated and responsible duties? Southern Highlands Province is a province with multi-million kina projects receiving various development funds from royalty to equity, MOAs, IDGs, DSIP, PSIP etcetera, yet the National Government through respective agencies like National Planning & Rural Development, Department of Finance and Treasury cannot get to the ground level and investigate whether projects are completed physically by status. They have been relaxing in the comforts of the Waigani Office when millions and billions of kina go to waste as seen in the districts and provinces where there is hardly any progress life and getting worse since basic services are hard to come by. To put into perspective, see how much millions of kina is received by each districts and let me get my Mendi/Munihu District as an example: In 2014, Mendi District received its DSIP of K10 million on top of that each LLG (since 3) was appropriated K1.5 million (K500,000 each, this year 2015 will be K1.2 million less hence each will receive K100,000 totalling K300.00). The Local MP has a K500, 000 as discretionary funds (money the MP gives where he is compel to) with K5 million under the PSIP we can say that in 2014, the district received K17 million, that is a lot of money to better of the lives of the people. This sort of amount is allocated every year plus the Provincial Government Budget, provinces and district would now become mini towns and cities in their own right. if we don’t see any development what is the instrument that is with the governments to go after her moneys and penalised people misusing funds, it is only through a VALID AUDIT. Therefore, I appeal to James Marape to urgently send an audit team to audit the books for Southern Highlands Provincial government to uncover the rot, conspiracy and siphoning of public money that is affecting service delivery in SHP. We want physical inspection of projects to confirm with the fires and payments as well as the procurement of projects to check on the capacity of contractors.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 09:40:40 +0000