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Accountable governance is key to poverty reduction
2006-02-22 07:13:09
By Mireny John
Since the coming to power of the fourth phase government, a new wind has been blowing consistently in a definite direction: Incumbent leaders are taking responsibility for the fate of the nation on issues that we have addressed for a long by paying mere lip service.
Despite the many root causes to the looming poverty, now exacerbated by acute food and energy shortages, we are increasingly seeing a new sense grasped by the present administration that governance that does not lead to development is basically sterile.
Throughout post independent Africa, most of the so-called nationalists—the personalities that fought for political independence and later occupied high public positions by displacing the whiteman, misconstrued the true meaning of political freedom.
They thought it was time to feast on public funds, and because the white bosses had gone home, accountable governance had gone with the wind of independence.
This mentality had been the source of grand corruption in Africa, coup d’ etats, and even civil wars.
Leaders at central and local governments have stolen assets worth billions and stashed them away in rich countries.
Worse, they go scot-free because of weak domestic institutions, which allow them to steal public property without fear of any accountability.
Forty years down the road, this attitude has not changed.
In Tanzania, the testimony of the ongoing wanton embezzlement of public funds at all levels of government is contained in the latest Controller and Auditor General’s (CAG) report which was submitted to parliament last week.
Billions of shillings in public funds have been stolen in both ministries and local councils at will, sometimes through childish thieving skills, like disappearance of revenue receipt books, misappropriation of sales of relief food and the like.
As one academic has noted, it seems that we are buying into our own poverty.
Councils for instance, are handling huge amounts of development funds, but year in year out, one can hardly see or feel development happening at the local level.
It is still hard to imagine serious projects taking place when even money set aside for buying food for patients admitted to public hospitals, and free mosquito nets to health centers are stolen by public servants.
This chronic behaviour, which seems to have become embedded in our political culture, amounts to mobilizing resources meant for construction and, instead, directing them to destruction.
In a contradiction of terms, the same public officials would organize orkshops/seminars/symposia with some of the balances left from stolen budgets to discuss new ways of alleviating poverty in Tanzania.
At a later stage, parliamentary committees would summon the suspects for questioning, then, the game would be declared over.
As long as no one among the culprits has been arraigned, prosecuted and no stolen assets have been recovered, in the end, the practice has been taken as business as usual.
The new leadership must loudly read the Riot Act by calling criminality in public places by no other name.
The CAG law ought to be reformed immediately, giving it powers to arraign and prosecute public officials proven through auditing to be thieves.
Some observers have suggested its application be retrospective, as a part of a strategy of entrenching moral restraint even for the hard core culprits.
Two weeks ago, the U.S; through its Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), provided USD11.15m in threshold program assistance to Tanzania to initiate a multi-sectoral attack on corruption.
A financial intelligence unit is envisaged, as well as the curbing of corruption in public procurement.
In two years time, we hope the program will bring about the required positive change in public performance.
The current laxity in public spending also takes the advantage of lack of consistent monitoring by the non-governmental organizations on the conduct of public officials.
This program would also enhance their capacity, so that whistles are blown before things get out of hand.
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