The Alliance For Change, in noting that the latest Auditor General’s Report has again identified a number of financial discrepancies and instances of unaccountability, is urging Members of Parliament to take a zero tolerance approach to corruption.
The AFC in a release yesterday pointed out that the National Assembly and more so its Public Accounts Committee have critical roles to play in ensuring taxpayers money is not siphoned off into deep pockets.
The party noted that while many previous AG reports have identified the contravention of financial management practices, these infractions continue as many government ministries and agencies fail to take corrective measures.
According to the AFC, it seems that these ministries and agencies have no regard for the Auditor General’s recommendations and are determined, year after year, to continue with their bad practices.
This is an insult to the work of the Auditor General’s Office and contemptuous of taxpayers whose money is not being properly accounted for and this state of affairs must not continue, the party asserted.
And underscoring that the AFC has already indicated its zero tolerance on corruption, the party declared, “Let this be a message to those corrupt officials who continue to engage in shady transactions and who fail to enact proper accounting measures,” as “the AFC will not be lenient with you.”
The people, through their vote, have given the Assembly the strength it needs to fight financial corruption and the Tenth Parliament would be failing in its duty to the people if it allows the discrepancies identified by the Auditor General to go uncorrected, the AFC declared.
Moreover, the party said it considers it its solemn duty to the people to act against corrupt officials and this is the duty also of all the members of the National Assembly, even if new conventions have to be written and new precedents set.
The people of this country, the AFC added, are expecting their leaders in the Parliament to tackle corruption head-on by providing iron-clad legislation and using its power to call officials to account.
