{UAH} Leaders should pay for their mistakes
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11:53 PM |
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Leaders should pay for their mistakes
A report by the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions , Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises released last week implicates several politicians and bureaucrats in the loss of public funds at the Uganda Development Bank (UDB). The politicians and bureaucrats apparently influenced the granting of huge loans to investors against the bank's established procedure and as it has turned out, the companies are unable to pay back the money. According to the report, up to Shs20 billion is tied up in these non-performing assets and there is no clear plan on how to recover the money. This is not the first time politicians and bureaucrats are making decisions that cost the taxpayer money. We saw it with the former Uganda Commercial Bank and Cooperative Bank , and we have seen it with other parastatals where investment decisions are made to favour political cronies as the taxpayer is left holding the can. Incredibly, when the report was presented, the response by some of the politicians named was plain arrogance; that they recommended loans by virtue of their positions as ministers, so in effect, they cannot be held responsible in their personal capacities! And that, perhaps, is part of the problem. Ugandan leaders seem to have put it into their minds that they have a licence to make wrong decisions once placed in positions of leadership. Because the ordinary Ugandans who place these politicians in these positions have somehow remained lackluster towards the leaders' failings, it has now become normal for leaders to make wrong decisions and get away with it. It is time to change this mentality by placing sanctions in whatever form, including ostracising leaders who make wrong decisions. These decisions need to live with them long after they have left public office then they will be forced to put some more thought before signing off taxpayers' money in chits to private firms.
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