The Executive Director of Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), Marcella Samba Sesay has said that officials in authority show blatant disregard for institutional systems established to manage and regulate administrative processes in state institutions.
She made this statement on Monday during the ‘Gud morning salon ‘program at Radio Democracy 98.1 while commenting of how the Auditor General’s 2019 report would strengthen democracy and good governance in Sierra Leone.
Samba-Sesay cited that every Audit report which had been issued, have repeatedly highlighted issues of accountability and governance with over 1,000 recommendations proposed, but most of those recommendations had not been put into effect.
She mentioned that Sierra Leone has existing instances of failures to adhere to procedures and systems, adding that a nation cannot be built on poor public sector without systems and processes. He revealed that most officials of state institutions preferred serving the government of the day rather than serving the people whom they are sworn constitutionally to protect.
She noted that if state institutions do the mistake of serving regimes, then the process of state governance would be marred wit corrupt practices, which could be a catalyst for national conflict. She added that if one aspect of statesmanship collapses the country, it becomes lumped-sided, thus creating an environment to syphon state resources.
Samba Sesay recalled that since the country emerged from the brutal civil war in 2002, the Government of Sierra Leone, International organization, and Civil Society and development partners has invested towards national development particularly on public sector reforms .He said that those development are embedded in the minds of the population and they continue to resonate because citizens are familiar with the development strides.
She highlighted that the role of the Audit Service Sierra Leone is to safeguard accountability and good governance in any given state, and she noted that good governance is embedded on supervisory governance which demands state capability, responsiveness and accountability.
“Accordingly Audit Service Sierra Leone (ASSL) ensures that state resources are utilize judiciously as enacted by the House of Parliament,” Sesay said.
She noted that government officials must be aware that as soon as they swear to the oath of serving citizens, irrespective of their designations, they become subject to public scrutiny, and as such, they should be accountable for any stipulated funds, property directed to them for the benefit the population.
By George M.O.Williams
19/01/2021. ISSUE NO:7982