The second part of the Parliament shall be the principal organ of the
United Republic which shall have the authority on behalf of the people to
oversee and advise the Government of the United Republic and all its organs in
the discharge of their respective responsibilities in accordance with this
Constitution.
Constitution of
the United Republic of Tanzania, section 63.2.
Every five years,
the Tanzanian people are called to elect a new Parliament. With their vote, they
entrust the delegates with the role to oversee the Government’s responsible use
of power and resources. The Parliament’s strongest ally in the endeavour of
ensuring accountability is the Controller and Auditor General (CAG). Over many
years, the CAG has performed the role as the conscience keeper of public funds.
During a media
briefing on Monday, 4th of April 2013, the National Assembly's
Assistant Director of Information, Mr Deogratius Egidio explained to the journalists:
“However due to limited time and the change of timetable, the CAG reports will
not be discussed during this meeting.” (Source:
Alvar Mwakyusa. “Tanzania: Bunge Session Kicks Off on Tuesday in Dodoma.” 9
April 2013. Internet. ).
With the decision
to disregard the CAG report and immediately proceed to the discussion of the
financial plans, the Parliament deprives itself of its constitutional
responsibility to oversee the government’s performance. After the budget estimates
have been approved, established laws and regulations govern the accountable use
of public monies. The Public Finance Act
(2001) requires the Minister of Finance to ensure “[…] that full and
transparent accounts are from time to time and not less than annually made to
the National Assembly [...]” and “that the control of the National Assembly
over such resources and public monies is maintained […]”. The Public Audit Act (2008) obligates the Controller and Auditor
General to “examine, inquire into and audit the accounts submitted to him”.
The Annual
General Report of the CAG (2012) shows that people’s concerns regarding the
proper handling of entrusted monies are justified: among various other issues,
the CAG queried that goods worth TSH 31 billion had been procured and paid but
not been delivered. To prevent such kind of mismanagement in the future, the
CAG is empowered to make recommendations. However, the CAG stated in the same
report that “most of the recommendations […] were not responded to, which is an
indicator of lack of seriousness on the part of the Government in implementing
those recommendations.”
The CAG’s
recommendations are not only essential to assess the past performance of
government agencies; he also provides input with regard to the tabled appropriation
bill. In 2012, the CAG recommended: “The outstanding liabilities totalling to TSH
1.327 trillion should be recognized in the National Accounts and should be
taken into account in the next years’ national budget.” These valuable
contributions are rendered meaningless if the Parliament does not discuss them ahead
of the budget estimates.
The budget cycle
needs to provide the Parliament with sufficient time to discuss the CAG’s
report to evaluate the performance all government agencies. Without such a
debate, mismanagement will continue undermining the efficiency and effectiveness
of the government’s development programmes.
Citizens should
to keep a close eye on the Parliament’s oversight performance and decide at the
next election if their current legislators deserve their trust for five more
years.
Mr. Irenei Kiria
Executive Director, Sikika, Box 12183 Dar es Salaam,
Phone: +255 222 666355/57, Fax: 2668015, Email:
info@sikika.or.tz, Website: www.sikika.or.tz
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