Loss
of valuable development funds occurs because too much of the national scarce
resources are being used in a way that is not effective and at worse not
necessary.
I
want to express my thoughts to powers that be in the country for the simple
reason that wasting valuable public resources by a government system that is
already on its knees needs serious attention if The Gambia wants to achieve its
national development objectives,reduce national stress and build a healthier
and stable economy.
Recently,
I was privileged to participate in a civil society forum to which several
government experts were also invited to deliberate on the management of public
finances. There was this young man who claims to belong to a group I will refer
to here as,“national budget architects” for the past thirteen years. He gave a
vivid description of how the budget lines are drawn, citing funds for
development and emoluments.
“Emolument
is a no-go area” he said, advancing that the government conducts virement of
funds from development component of the budget to pay for emoluments component
each time there is budgetary shortage. He insisted that public servants had to
be paid. That is correct you-work-you-get-paid as the saying goes and you go
home to take care of your family with your earnings (emphasis mine).
I
was befouled by such expression that I took for meaning that personal
emoluments have precedent over development and that individual well-being is
greater than the collective wellness of the nation. Not only that but I was
inclined by my own calculations to understand the motives that motivate public
servants to keep doing virement here and there each time to avert budgetary
shortages.
Yes,
it is a scandal. I could not figure out the head or tail because I could not
understand how group of experts should fail year-after-year-after-year to
effectively let ends meet and ensure proper disbursement of public funds as it
was designed, approved but when it comes to implementation, trouble starts. I
am still wondering.
Then
I awoke one morning to realize that, there is something fundamentally wrong
with the manner in which the public sector disburses and uses funds in the
course of implementing fiscal policies.
Was
the budget not properly planned, properly managed and/or properly implemented
or “maa tey” syndrome is in control.
The
other day, a local newspaper carried an advert calling for vendors to supply
foodstuff to the Office of the President. The amount to spend was in excess of
11 million dalasi, just to feed the President. The advert referred to, started
to make rounds on social media and of course it was talk of town.
I
quickly found out that the office of the President has employed over 129 house
cleaners and that all of these employees are fed breakfast, lunch and provided
with transportation in addition to their monthly emoluments.
Eleven
million dalasi is spent feeding over 129 employees in addition to their pay and
other benefits, brings to question: how much in total is the whole government
machinery unnecessarily spending annually on feeding staff that are on the pay
roll.
The
Government agencies annual expenditure for purchases of “ndewoo” is definitely
on-the-high-side.From ethical perspective something is wrong.This type of
phenomenon that hire services, pay monthly emoluments, provide befitting
privileges then ignore ethics and provide extra free meals daily is not morally
good.
Mind
you this is happening in The Gambia public service and not schools. I am
referring to adults gainfully employed and being fed like school children.
The
Gambia populace want to experience a new year free from extravagancy. Not
effective and not necessary government spending at the expense of development
is putting stress on the national development agenda. Period.
So
is it not time for the government of President Adama Barrow to call a
convergence of top economist (plus anti corruption campaigners as observers),
in the country to conduct simple arithmetic to access the cost of providing
free meals to public servants who are supposed to be on salary, wages,
privileges, per diem, soft loans, and
many more benefits and are permitted by the Head of the Gambia Civil Service to
improperly over stretch the “national fiscalcircuit”.
The
national economy should not be allowed to function like offering of “zakat” or
behave like a charitable organisation. Government public sector workers consume
just too much of public funds that should have gone into furnishing the
hospitals, provide school supplies/equipment including school busing system and
other development needs of the country.
So
then, is the President and by extension Head of The Gambia Civil Service/public
sector ready to abolish free meals in government establishment or will maintain
the unnecessary dishing out of public funds to favour public servants who are
already on the pay roll and say that favouritism is not corruption or corrupt
practice. That waste of public funds does not amount to abuse of trusted
authority. That virement is not a risk to the national fiscal policies and
neither is it tantamount to financial indiscipline nor criminal behavior.
Please
remake the system.
Meanwhile
permit me to drop the curtains for now. I shall return.
