Deadline for acquittals nearing

National

Stories by HELEN TARAWA
MEMBERS of Parliament have a year and a half to submit their 2019 acquittals for service improvement programme (SIP) funds before the polls in 2022, an official says.
Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) secretary Aihi Vaki told The National that only eight reports had been received this year.
They have to provide the acquittals before the 2022 elections.
“This is a reminder towards the end of the five years,” Vaki said.
“We keep reminding the 111 MPs to look at their backyard and ensure that things are rightly done – whether the administrations are functioning and the decisions are in order.
“We are concerned about the SIP funding acquittal reports.
“We have been through the Covid-19 period and it has been a difficult time for the Government.
“The Covid-19 should not stop them from having that relaxed period to submit acquittals.”
Vaki said the National Executive Council decided in 2018 that DIRD would be responsible to managed SIP.
“They all got equal share regardless of which side of the house they were in and it was a fair distribution,” he said.
“We would like to see our leaders and their administrations discuss the acquittals in their respective districts and electorates, including governors.”
Vaki said it would be too late for the districts and electorates to submit their acquittals before or during the election period.
“It’s a very good policy by the Government because it has done a lot changes to the lives of the people in the rural areas,” he said.
“Lots of leaders had delivered services in terms of impact projects that could be sustainable but the problem is accountability.
“We do not have funding to do monitoring.
“We only act upon requests from a district or electorate using our little funds.
“My advice is that the onus is on the districts and provinces.
“We are embracing decentralisation process. They have to take stocks of their assets.”