Permanent Secretary, Frans Tsheehama, was reacting to an article in Friday's The Namibian, 'Government dragging feet on buying farms', which he claimed was misleading and misinterpreted the content and context of information he presented at the National Assembly Standing Committee on Public Accounts last week.

The committee criticised the Ministry for failing to fully utilise money to buy farms despite an outcry for land reform in the country.

It emerged that in the two years between 1997 and 1999 the Ministry underspent on its land purchase budget by N$15 million, which was returned to the Government kitty.

In a press statement on Friday, Tsheehama said from 2000 to early this year the Ministry spent more than its budgeted N$20 million a year to buy farms. In 2000-2001 farms to the value of N$21 million were bought while in 2001-2002 an additional N$1,3 million was used.

"For this financial year, 2002-2003, we are confident that no money may go back to Treasury due to good and suitable farms on offer," said Tsheehama.

The optimum use of the allocated funds is a far cry from, for example, the N$3,8 million spent in 1999-2000.

The figure is contained in the annual report the Ministry issued for that period. But, Tsheehama claimed that the information did not exist although it is contained in a summary signed by him.

"At this point in time we want to believe that there is a hidden agenda embedded in this report as we do not comprehend the rationale behind adding a political flavour in what was purely explanations regarding the specific figures and issues in the report," Tsheehama charged.

The parliamentary committee put Tsheehama on the spot when questioning him on the finances of his Ministry.

It emerged during the hearing that the financial records of the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation was in such a chaotic state that it contributed to erratic spending.

Tsheehama took issue with The Namibian for what he felt was going beyond the committee's hearing to write about the heated debate for land.

At the hearing he said Government did not get enough farms to buy and many of those offered were not suitable for distribution.

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