Maseru, Oct. 28 — Public trust is emphasised by the media as the cornerstone of democratic governance which needs to be demonstrated through transparency and accountability.
This, transpired at the 17th Annual Conference and 21st Annual General Meeting of the Southern African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) held at Manthabiseng Convention Centre from Monday under the theme ” Promoting Public Trust through Active Citizen Engagement in Oversight, Processes”.
In his presentation, the Chairperson of Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Lesotho Mr. Kananelo Boloetse said there is need for citizens to see how public funds are raised, spent, and audited so that they could trust the system, saying if information is hidden, delayed or ignored, mistrust grows, and democracy weakens.
He indicated that the Constitution and Financial Laws provide a clear framework for accountability thus financial reports should be made available to Parliament, Media and public as soon as possible although that is not always the case…
LP/BM
