Wabag MP presents acquittals

The Wabag MP wants to instil and maintain a high level of transparency and accountability in how district funds are disbursed.

Dr Lino Tom said this yesterday when presenting acquittals for Wabag District for 2015, 2016 and the first half of 2017.

The acquittals were presented to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD).

Dr Tom said the failure to provide acquittals by his predecessor needed to be rectified and spent time with his administration sorting out the books.

He said he wants to see a high level of openness as part of service delivery.

“During my term in office, I’d like to maintain a high level of transparency and accountability. So I had to prioritise this acquittal.”

Acting Secretary Aihi Vaki said since Dr Tom was newly-elected, the acquittals for previous years under the former Wabag MP must be done by the administration.

He said he will only expect acquittals from Dr Tom when new funds are released during his term.

“Your responsibility starts when you receive the monies. Any outstanding matters should be attended by District Administration CEO and his team and finance manager. 

“So we try to demarcate, to make it clear to our leaders,” clarified Vaki.

Meanwhile, Dr Tom said the District Services Improvement Program (DSIP) was an important revenue source and will use the funds for development projects in his district.

“The DSIP is an important source of government funding that goes directly to the rural people. The idea behind coming up with this system of funding is noble in its intention. It gives money right to the people, but the implementation bit is the problem that all of us are facing,” he said.

Author: 
Cedric Patjole