Let’s improve accountability

BEING accountable in any workplace is something everyone should strive to achieve.
Accountability has a clear link to higher work performance, but experts indicate that it also results in improved competency and commitment to work, increased employee morale and work satisfaction.
For example; a government has accountability for decisions and laws affecting its citizens; an individual has accountability for his or her acts and behaviours.
A term used quite often by our police and the courts is “fraud”.
If you look up a dictionary, fraud means wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
Lack of accountability is seen as the cause of fraud.
Straight forward, accountability is one of our biggest challenge.
Lack of accountability has corroded public respect for business and political leaders.
Almost every second day, the newspaper reports on a fraud case involving people who were given the responsibility to administer or look after money belonging to others.
The instances of abuse of power by public servants are rife and continue unabated even though the country has courts and a police force to investigate and punish guilty individuals.
Such negligence contribute to another popular term – corruption.
We see it every day and most of us, whether we know it or not, participate, enable and encourage corruption, graft and theft and all manner of activities that contribute to the mismanagement, misuse and breakdown of services, goods and ultimately the society we like to call among other things, Christian and peace-loving.
Money being diverted to unbudgeted or unplanned expenses by department heads at the behest of politicians is a common complaint across the board.
One group of people who always come under the spotlight are the MPs, who have the responsibility to acquit for public funds.
Money put in the hands of MPs without strict accountability or in a transparent fashion only creates the possibility for abuse and misuse.
Some might say that we are no different from any other country when it comes to the issue, but where does it say we have to accept the situation and not do anything about it?
The checks and balances are there, however, they are rendered impotent because of a lack of will to follow through on the part of agencies.
This is the challenge to all given the responsibility to manage money in their line of duty.
Transparency International Papua New Guinea deputy director Yuambari Haihuie was quoted in The National last week saying it was vital for good governance, accountability and integrity to be in the Government system so services actually reached people in the community.
It is important to tell the people and the auditing authority how the money is spent. How they perform their task should be according to their respective departments work ethics.
Work ethics refer to a basic set of moral values associated with the way work is done whatever its nature or status.
Honesty, responsibility, discipline and diligence are values we inculcate in children from an early stage linking these up with performance in school and early childhood tasks.
We ask children to perform in school “to the best of your ability”.
In adult life, these values should translate into hard work, efficiency, discipline and integrity at the workplace.
We should try getting into the habit of practising accountability.
If you take responsibility for your own actions, you show accountability.