Introduction
As a developing country aspiring to secure and sustain political sovereignty underpinned by efficient socioeconomic development for its people, successive governments since independence have framed and implemented different strategic policies to stem corruption in government and among public officials. The second reign of President John Dramani Mahama (JDM) has taken this policy a step further by working with Parliament to establish the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to conduct televised public hearings to monitor how government agencies, public officials and affiliated institutions use the taxpayers’ money to create value for the people and national growth. Against this background, this post examines the question whether the hearings by PAC will create substantive value for the Ghanaian? To answer that question, this post is organised as follows: first, to explore the objectives of the PAC; second, to examine the value PAC offers the Ghanaian public; and concluding remarks.
The Objectives of the PAC
As stated briefly in the introduction above, the PAC, which is a standing committee of the 9th Parliament of Ghana has a duty to oversee and monitor how government and its agencies spend public money with a view to creating value for Ghanaians and the country. This post examines the question of value in politics subsequently. Other objectives in establishing the PAC are to hold public officials/institutions accountable; examine reports audited by the Audit Services as to conduct investigation for recovery and prosecution in extreme cases of malfeasance and to reprimand those officials and agencies for committing financial malpractices. Close observation of the PAC’s activities manifests nothing concrete of protecting public finances against corrupt public officials; except to hold drabbing public hearings of ministries, agencies and agents who have misappropriated, embezzled or misused state funds with impunity. The feeble responses and recommendations provided by the PAC towards offending officials and agencies mirror hopelessness, waste of public time and resources devoid of value. This is because the developed countries and institutions from whom Ghana borrows money to undertake socioeconomic developments are quick to sanction and punish their corrupt officials mercilessly. However, Ghana, with its sister country Nigeria, and other African countries, are neck -deep in misusing state funds without creating concrete value for their respective citizens.
PAC as a Value Creation Committee
The concept of value creation in governance is to promote the socioeconomic welfare of their people. Similarly, the PAC’s obligation towards the Ghanaian public is akin to formulating strategies within commercial and entrepreneurial sectors of an economy to promote the welfare of their customers. Thus, juxtaposing this proposition to PAC’s role in the grand scheme of Ghana’s development, one may be right to conclude that the PAC is not only a comic relief entity but also a drain on the national resources. This is because creating value in politics and governance means providing efficient social amenities -quality schools, well equipped hospitals and quality social infrastructures that will improve the standard of living among Ghanaians. Also, creating value for the Ghanaian means framing novel and innovative strategic framework that leverage domestic resources and expertise to build strong economic architecture to produce sustainable job opportunities for the teaming youth without reliance on external powers. Furthermore, creating value for national welfare demands swift implementation of drastic punitive measures against offending public officials irrespective of their political affiliation, religion, colour, background, race or status in the country. Although millions of Ghanaians, especially the youth, among whom are thousands of unemployed graduates across all disciplines continue to increase; however, each PAC hearing continues to show instances of losses and misappropriation of state funds without accountability or punishment. Is it any surprise that Ghanaian children continue to study under trees and mothers delivering their babies on bare concrete floors in maternity wards across Ghana?
Concluding Remarks
While the PAC, was founded with a noble purpose to streamline public spending by holding government agencies and officials to firm accountability; its performance thus far is nothing worthy of commendation except to say that it has become a caricature synonymous to agora in Greek, where traders exchange prices over a commodity. Ghanaians expect the PAC to create substantial value by improving their standard of living through patriotic work; however, the comic reliefs displayed by the PAC thus far indicates that nothing good will come out it for Ghanaians. Therefore, public institutions and agents have become indemnified against prosecution while the masses enjoy poverty and cyclical depravity without solace.
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