Source: The National, Monday 3rd June 2013
WABAG MP Robert Ganim has been commended for a well-documented budget of K10 million for the district services improvement program (DSIP).
Enga provincial administrator Dr Samson Amean told a provincial management team last week that it was first time for the Ganim and the joint district planning and budget priorities committee to have a budget plan with realistic priorities on spending.
Amean said the allocation of funds was in line with development targets of the national government’s Vision 2050 and various medium term strategies.
He said Enga would go a long way if other districts did the same as Wabag.
“I am happy that the MP for Wabag has come up with a well-documented budget plan that reflected the aspirations of the national government’s long and short term plans,” Amean said.
He said it was the role of the district administrators to advise the MPs on procedures involved in coming up with plans on how to use public funds so that the people in the villages were the ultimate beneficiaries.
Amean’s comments followed public speculation that many MPs only had “shopping lists” for DSIP funds without following proper budget expenditure procedures.
It is understood that service delivery and project implementation in a particular district in Enga had come to a standstill because the local MP did not follow these procedures and did not hold any budget priority committee meetings.
A senior public servant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the acting district administrator for that district was still waiting for the MP to organise the operation of the district while other districts were ready to undergo their second quarterly budget review.
Governor Peter Ipatas raised concern two weeks ago about at least one MP’s decision to engage Western Highlands provincial authorities to administer road redevelopment in his district.