Sun, 03 Sep 2017 12:21:00 +0000
BY CHITE MTONGA
PARLIAMENT should ensure that the bill to amend the Public Procurement Act genuinely protects public resources as many cases to do with misappropriation of Government funds are related to procurement procedures, Centre for Trade Policy and Development Executive Director Isaac Mwaipopo has said.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr. Mwaipopo said that Parliament should make sure that the bill to amend the Public Procurement Act will genuinely increase transparency and accountability.
He said that Government had realized that the Public Procurement Act No.12 of 2008 was inadequate in public procurement issues and it was now up to Parliament to study the bill carefully.
Mr. Mwaipopo said that the Public Procurement Act was very important in promoting effective accountability of the inadequate Public resources that are available.
“ As CTPD, we would like to urge our members of Parliament to look at this bill carefully and make sure that what eventually becomes Law is something that protects public resources, we want these resources to be used for building schools, hospitals, and infrastructure and other developmental projects that the people of Zambia need.
“We do not want to see a porous Act that will allow selfish people to enrich themselves, we want public resources to be protected. However, the move by cabinet to approve a bill to amend the Act with intentions of addressing issues that are not in the existing legislation is very welcome,” he said.
Mr. Mwaipopo said that the Public Procurement Act was on important legislation and members of Parliament should look at the bill seriously as not doing so would be at the expense of the majority poor Zambians.
