Public sector waste scandalous

Friday, February 03, 2012

THE hundreds of millions of dollars that go to waste in this country every year due to incompetence and, in some cases, criminal behaviour, is scandalous.

This year's report by Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis brought out this point forcefully.

The AG reported that more than $725,920 was paid out by the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) over a three-year period in the name of 21 families due to irregularities that involved members of staff. Of that amount, $150,000 was recovered from one family that had connections to a member of the PATH staff.

She also told us that the Jamaica Urban Transit Company recorded total losses of $2.2 billion resulting in an accumulated deficit of $8.3 billion as at March 31 in 2010. In addition, the bus company failed to report more than 1,200 accidents involving its buses between April 2009 and August 2010 -- a violation of the Financial Administration and Audit Act. Also, at March 31 last year, the JUTC had outstanding accident claims of an estimated $614.3 million.

Further examination of Mrs Monroe Ellis's report gave us the shocking news that the health ministry and its agencies cost taxpayers $76.4 million in overpayments, improper payments and unsubstantiated transactions over the last financial year.

As if all that were not enough, her audit of six parish councils uncovered systemic weaknesses resulting in unsupported transactions, theft of cash and bank overdraft charges totalling $4 million, $243,000 and $395,766 respectively.

There's much more in the auditor general's report which remains to be published. The sad reality is that each year after the report is tabled in Parliament, little, if any, action is taken to hold people accountable for wanton waste, and theft, of taxpayers' money.

We hold that had the authorities been imposing sanctions against those who have demonstrated irresponsibility in the management of State funds, this burden on the public purse would be reduced.

People who are either careless with, or who enrich themselves and their friends from the Jamaican people's money should not receive a mere slap on the wrist and be allowed to continue holding their jobs.

We don't buy it Sir Patrick

It was most unfortunate that King's House chose to add fuel to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Ms Sally Porteous as custos of Manchester by barring the media from covering her swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen will pardon us if we do not swallow his apology for what he described as a "breakdown in communication" that resulted in the insult to professionals who went to King's House to do their job.

Quite frankly, we cannot see how a "breakdown in communication" could have resulted in police personnel manning the gates at the colonial-style mansion telling journalists that only the State news agency, the Jamaica Information Service, would be given access to cover the civic event.

The police personnel clearly stated that they were acting on instructions. The questions that Sir Patrick needs to answer are who gave those instructions and why.

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Public sector waste scandalous