Political Perspective

IT’S about time Government clarified the issue of foreign trips – who decides and under what circumstances and how our officials should travel.

So many cases of S&T abuse arise from just this sort of thing, apart from anything else, that it requires this be made public once and for all. We know that former President Sam Nujoma brought into being a tighter regime on foreign travel for these very reasons, but that now seems to have fallen by the wayside.So it is time for the Pohamba Government to inform us what’s happening in its stead.IN a case this week, the Permanent Secretary of Health, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, told a local newspaper querying his business-class travel to the United States that this was in accordance with Government regulations.Part of his conditions of service, he maintained.He may well be correct.But if so, isn’t it time Government revised these rules to be in keeping with affordability? But this too, is part of a larger issue of who travels where and when and for what reason.The trip in question is apparently sponsored by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), which is apparently sending Dr Shangula, along with three other officials, to Chicago for US National AIDS Testing Day.I suppose it is a CDC prerogative to ask and pay for those they want to go, but on Namibia’s part, do we feel it’s necessary for four officials to go on such a trip and what, in the end, is in it for us? Who decides, is the question.Or does the PS decide himself? And then the taxpayer is expected to foot the bill for the difference between an economy and business-class ticket (some N$40 000 apparently)? It is unlikely that this is the only example of its kind.Just a while back we wrote about a meeting of city councils in Havana, Cuba, where Namibia had a strong presence of mayors and other top officials in attendance, at huge cost for the taxpayer.What came out of that trip to the benefit of the broader public? Nothing, I suspect.It was just a fun jaunt.I’m not denying that Namibia does need to be represented at certain important fora the world over.But we certainly shouldn’t have tolerance for trips that are gratuitous and a drain on our precious tax dollars.Government surely has to revise its travel regulations and reinstitute a rigorous procedure to determine if the trips undertaken are entirely necessary.Let alone the travel costs, the officials in question also get paid generous S&T allowances, even including clothing in some circumstances! We’ve all read of the recent dispute concerning Salmaan Jacobs, Chief Regional Officer of Karas, who is being charged by the ACC on just such an issue.If the rules aren’t made very stringent and very clear, then this will be an ongoing saga.And I see no reason why the broader public should be kept out of the loop.In order for them to judge their officials, it is important that they too are aware of the regulations.I guess to ask the Government to do just this, is a hopeless task.They just don’t respond.With recent reference to the saga of the two top officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission who were erroneously paid double salaries and bonuses, we’ve heard nothing from the Prime Minister’s office to clarify whether payback has commenced.The media can shout the odds about corruption (and we’re always told we’re part of the fight!) but are totally ignored when revelations become public.So it may well be futile to ask Government to respond in this instance too.But I insist we need to be kept abreast of such rules and regulations.There needs to be constant scrutiny over all the loopholes, and there are undoubtedly many.Government needs to be clear about officials like Dr Shangula who go on trips that are paid for by donors, and whether they are entitled to S&T, and to ensure that these are not being duplicated.But we have to also question the necessity of all the trips.How about Government releasing a list of all the officials who went on trips this year, and what they have cost us? One would imagine it would be a fairly simple exercise – all Ministries could forward their records, and someone could collate them.I think it would be a very interesting and probably illuminating exercise.But it is unlikely to generate any interest (let alone excitement) in Government ranks, I’m sure.We need to get a grip on this.I am sure that foreign travel and related expenses, such as S&Ts, account for a lot of overspending in various Ministries.We know that former President Sam Nujoma brought into being a tighter regime on foreign travel for these very reasons, but that now seems to have fallen by the wayside.So it is time for the Pohamba Government to inform us what’s happening in its stead.IN a case this week, the Permanent Secretary of Health, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, told a local newspaper querying his business-class travel to the United States that this was in accordance with Government regulations.Part of his conditions of service, he maintained.He may well be correct.But if so, isn’t it time Government revised these rules to be in keeping with affordability? But this too, is part of a larger issue of who travels where and when and for what reason.The trip in question is apparently sponsored by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), which is apparently sending Dr Shangula, along with three other officials, to Chicago for US National AIDS Testing Day.I suppose it is a CDC prerogative to ask and pay for those they want to go, but on Namibia’s part, do we feel it’s necessary for four officials to go on such a trip and what, in the end, is in it for us? Who decides, is the question.Or does the PS decide himself? And then the taxpayer is expected to foot the bill for the difference between an economy and business-class ticket (some N$40 000 apparently)? It is unlikely that this is the only example of its kind.Just a while back we wrote about a meeting of city councils in Havana, Cuba, where Namibia had a strong presence of mayors and other top officials in attendance, at huge cost for the taxpayer.What came out of that trip to the benefit of the broader public? Nothing, I suspect.It was just a fun jaunt.I’m not denying that Namibia does need to be represented at certain important fora the world over.But we certainly shouldn’t have tolerance for trips that are gratuitous and a drain on our precious tax dollars.Government surely has to revise its travel regulations and reinstitute a rigorous procedure to determine if the trips undertaken are entirely necessary.Let alone the travel costs, the officials in question also get paid generous S&T allowances, even including clothing in some circumstances! We’ve all read of the recent dispute concerning Salmaan Jacobs, Chief Regional Officer of Karas, who is being charged by the ACC on just such an issue.If the rules aren’t made very stringent and very clear, then this will be an ongoing saga.And I see no reason why the broader public should be kept out of the loop.In order for them to judge their officials, it is important that they too are aware of the regulations.I guess to ask the Government to do just this, is a hopeless task.They just don’t respond.With recent reference to the saga of the two top officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission who were erroneously paid double salaries and bonuses, we’ve heard nothing from the Prime Minister’s office to clarify whether payback has commenced.The media can shout the odds about corruption (and we’re always told we’re part of the fight!) but are totally ignored when revelations become public.So it may well be futile to ask Government to respond in this instance too.But I insist we need to be kept abreast of such rules and regulations.There needs to be constant scrutiny over all the loopholes, and there are undoubtedly many.Government needs to be clear about officials like Dr Shangula who go on trips that are paid for by donors, and whether they are entitled to S&T, and to ensure that these are not being duplicated.But we have to also question the necessity of all the trips.How about Government releasing a list of all the officials who went on trips this year, and what they have cost us? On
e would imagine it would be a fairly simple exercise – all Ministries could forward their records, and someone could collate them.I think it would be a very interesting and probably illuminating exercise.But it is unlikely to generate any interest (let alone excitement) in Government ranks, I’m sure.We need to get a grip on this.I am sure that foreign travel and related expenses, such as S&Ts, account for a lot of overspending in various Ministries.