Legislators, Auditors Unite for BiH Budgeting Efficiency
It is a frustrating fact that in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), publicizing inefficiency or even corruption doesn’t always lead to change. Reports are written, people are informed, but no action is necessarily taken.
Part of the problem is that while auditors can identify areas in government or state-owned enterprises that need improvement, they don’t have the ability to effect change. That power belongs to legislators who can mandate reforms. But when USAID took a look at the situation, it realized that a strong link between auditors and legislators had to be built.
To this end, USAID sponsored a trip for eight BiH auditors and legislators to see how their counterparts work together in the states of New York and Wisconsin, in the U.S. The trip was an eye-opener, says USAID Economics Office Head Gregg Wiitala. “I think it helped them realize the power legislatures have to insist on reforms by withholding funding.”
“The study tour was very useful and helped me realize that the system we currently have in place is not efficient enough,” says Dusanka Majkic, Chairperson of the BiH House of Peoples Finance and Budget Committee. As a result of her experience, Majkic and her counterpart in the House of Representatives are proposing to replace their own House-level committees with two joint Parliamentary-level ones: one for budget issues and one specifically to deal with auditor’s reports.
Additionally, Majkic says auditors will no longer be left to make their cases on their own. “In the future, the auditing institutions and parliamentary committees will speak to the public with one voice,” she promises.
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BiH Parliament in session
Photo Credit: BiH Parliament |
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