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No money hinders expenditure reports
By
Ephraim Munthali - 09-10-2002 |
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The Ministry of Finance, which pledged to publish expenditure reports for government departments, has said it is unable to honour the commitment because it is yet to source the money for the task.
Ministry spokesperson Patrick Zimpita, however, said the public can monitor the reports on the ministry’s website where updates on departmental expenditures are posted.
In May this year, Finance Minister Friday Jumbe told a pre-budget consultative forum in Mzuzu that government will start publishing monthly expenditure reports in newspapers to expose controlling officers who misuse resources under their custody.
This is also in line with the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) requirements.
Three months down the line, no official expenditures have been disseminated in the media.
Budget and Finance Committee of Parliament Louis Chimango said in an interview that despite the committee reminding the ministry three times on the matter, nothing on the ground has been moving.
But Zimpita said: “We are currently facing financial problems and for now we cannot publish in the media until later.”
Malawi Economic Justice Network (Mejn) national Coordinator Collins Magalasi said the only expenditure reports found on the website are outdated.
“If you visit their web site today, you will not find any expenditure reports there for this year. Besides, how many Malawians have access to the Internet? Government should be accountable to people in the villages not just a few individuals in urban areas,” said Magalasi.
He said much as he appreciated the financial constraints government is currently experiencing, accountability of public finances should be a priority.
“How much does it take to book two pages a month and publish the expenditures in the daily papers. It is just a question of learning how to prioritise,” Magalasi argued.
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