BG reporter
Gaborone West North legislator Robert Masitara does not intend to resign from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), despite storming out of the proceedings recently.
He once stormed out of a workshop organised by parliament to induct new members of the PAC after last year’s October general election.
He has also dismissed notions that there was bad blood between himself and PAC chairman and Tati East Member of Parliament, Samson Guma.
“There is no bad blood between myself and the chairperson of the PAC although at first it seemed he had a problem with my contribution.
I am not resigning from the PAC as I feel I have more to contribute to the committee’s delibera tions,” said an ecstatic Masitara.
However, he has observed a few weaknesses in the committee that must be eliminated. The legislator feels that the PAC lacks sufficient power and authority to interrogate the accounting officers extensively. It also has no power to recommend action on the performance of the accounting officers in their ability to monitor the use of public funds and implement risk management techniques as a measure of early fraud detection.
“With my background in finance
and auditing and practical experience in auditing, if you are mandated to ask people in positions
of governance to account for the use of public funds, there should be no element of sympathy in executing that duty, especially with the background knowledge that countries are going through a recovery period. And as such we have to preserve each and every Pula that the government allocates to its ministries, departments and parastatals,” said Masitara.
“If the committee feels that the accounting officer has failed to account fully as to how the funds were utilised, the committee should be allowed to recommend the appropriate
action that must be taken against that officer,” said Masitara. He is also regretted that accounting officers do not take the PAC seriously. “I am unhappy because the PAC is treated as a mockery by anyone who appears before it because they know that after all no action would be taken against them for any failure to account or deliver,” said Masitara.
The current members of the PAC are Guma (Chairman), Moiseraele Goya (Palapye), Gilson Saleshando Selibe-Phikwe West), Nehemiah Modubule (Lobatse), Mephato Reatile (Ngwaketse West), Isaac Mabiletsa (Kgatleng East), Odirile Motlhale (South East South), Edwin Batshu (Nkange) and Wynter Mmolotsi (Francistown South).