Editorial

PAC; CRACK THE WHIP!

THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Monday issued a stern warning to heads of public institutions who failed to strictly implement the recommendations in the Auditor- General’s report.

The chairman of the committee, James Klutse Avedzi, threatened to crack the whip if heads of public institutions continue to refuse to implement recommendations in the Auditor-General’s report.

An obviously frustrated chairman of PAC said, heads of public institutions continue to give excuses as to why they have not implemented the recommendations and reminded them that there are laws that can be used to deal with them.

Mr Avedzi observed that many public officials were in the habit of appearing before the committee to offer apologies for their infractions.

Although we share in the frustration of the chairman of PAC we are unable to sympathise with him.

The Ghanaian Times finds it difficult to understand why punitive measures have not been taken against heads of state institutions who have flouted the laws of the land.

The plain truth is that, PAC and the other institution who should take action have failed to sanction public officials who have been cited for wrong doing, and that is why they continue to appear before them to offer apologies for their infractions.

Indeed many of these infractions are very serious and border on corruption and it, therefore, beats one’s imagination as to why they have always been let off the hook with just a warning or threat of action.

Quite honestly, many Ghanaians are not enthused about the warnings that have been issued to the public officials over the period because everyone is fully aware that nothing would come out of it.

The public is fully aware that ordinary people who may engage in lesser offences get punished quickly and heavily but officials who commit much bigger crimes do not get similar punishment.

It is our wish that PAC would crack the whip by sanctioning the officials who do not implement the recommendations of the Auditor-General.

We look forward to the day PAC would sanction public officials so that they would not take the implementation of the Auditor-General’s report for granted.

We also hope that public officials who have been asked to implement recommendations of the Auditor-General, would do so and not sleep over them and attract sanctions from PAC in future.

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