‘Committees critical in ensuring clean governance’
PARLIAMENT’S Public Accounts Committee and the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion have a critical role to play in ensuring Government’s accountability and the achievement of the country’s development goals, Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Mudenda, has said.
In his keynote address during an induction workshop of the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance Promotion and Investment Promotion on Saturday, Adv Mudenda said the public finance management systems were the Government resources ecosystem employed in mobilising revenue, budgetary allocation of public funds and how they are expended in order to ensure accountability as distilled by periodic audit reports.
“This Government accountability matrix is the barometer by which Government can gauge the public trust. Your compelling role, therefore, in this regard is to ensure that the State and all institutions and agencies of Government at every level do act constitutionally and in the national interest as peremptorily provided for in section 119(2) of the national Constitution.
“Thus, the palpable role of these two committees ostensibly lies in ensuring that the Government’s accountability bar remains sustainably high in order to ensure clean governance by the people, with the people and for the people of Zimbabwe.
“Herein reposes the execution of the national interest. As such the complimentary role of these two committees must emerge eloquently. The Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion must be robust in exercising oversight on the Executive’s management of the public purse for purposes of ensuring value for money in national service delivery while at the same time gingering investment promotion which guarantees sustainable revenue inflows to boost the national budget. The strategic intent in this vital oversight role is to forestall financial malfeasance in public expenditure by Government,” he said.
The Speaker said on the other hand, the Public Accounts Committee’s responsibility lay in the analysis of the Auditor General’s Reports which might expose residual financial improprieties in public expenditure by Government despite the oversight role of the Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion Committee.
“Such critical analysis of the Auditor-General’s reports by the Public Accounts Committee is of no consequence if it does not culminate in the production of Treasury minutes and their tabling in the House as a lucid demonstration by Treasury on how to expeditiously remedy the identified abuse of public funds,” he said.
Adv Mudenda challenged the two committees to work together adding that the workshop was meant to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency in their management of public finances.
“It is also expected that value for money will be guaranteed as we realise our institutional and national goals set out in the Institutional Strategic Plan of Parliament and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) through the operation of these two committees.
“Ultimately, the goal is to achieve consequential positive outcomes for the citizens as the two committees endeavour to ensure that public resources are expended responsibly and effectively for Government to earn the people’s public trust. No government worth its salt can afford the public trust deficit whatsoever,” said Adv Mudenda.
The two Committees had to appreciate the legal framework that governs them including the Constitution.
“To that an extent, Parliament’s committees are constitutionally grounded for the sake of ensuring efficient and effective oversight, representation and sound legislative roles.
“Thus, our committee system allows for more in-depth specialised scrutiny of government ministries and agencies in order to ensure accountable governance.”