PAP to push for AU Audit

PAP to push for AU Audit
•As Chief Charumbira calls for resuscitation of functional committees

Brian Rungano Temba

Chief Fortune Charumbira, the newly elected President of the Pan African Parliament is in Zambia for the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union running from July 14 to July 18.

He immediately got to work, addressing journalists at the Kenneth Kaunda Airport, where he told the press that he has a priority to make sure proper audits are done in both the Pan African Parliament and the African Union.

This, he said was the beginning of a new journey which will see a rejuvenated Pan African Parliament expected to be seeking accountability.

“We are very happy that Zambia got appointed to chair of the Committee on Audits that will look into both PAP funds and AU funds as well.
We are here for a very serious mission,” said Chief Charumbira.

Throughout the PAP presidency campaign, the Southern block ,except for Malawi, had driven for a revolving chair in order to get transparency on the use of funds in the PAP and AU.

“We acknowledge the challenges faced by the PAP and the criticism that it has not lived up to expectations. We also hear calls for the PAP to play a more prominent role in achieving the objectives of our Union. We now have new leadership in place that understands these challenges and is determined to steer African Parliament in a new direction. But it will be a mammoth task if we are not given the tools and resources to achieve our mandate,” Chief Charumbira said.

He added: “The PAP Bureau appreciates the efforts exerted in considering its proposed 2023 Budget, albeit, in the absence of the political leadership. The Bureau wishes to draw the attention of the distinguished policy organs to the serious challenges pertaining to the 2022 Operational Budget and the proposed 2023 Operational Budget, which, if not addressed, will adversely affect PAP’s effectiveness in fulfilling its mandate.”

Chief Charumbira cited, among others, participation in African Union activities, statutory committee sittings, ordinary sessions, and parliamentary diplomacy missions, as some of the key areas where the budget was either reduced or simply cut in 2022 and 2023 budget allocations.

While acknowledging the austerity measures to contain the impact of Covid-19, President Charumbira appealed, on behalf of his Bureau, for the 2022 and 2023 PAP budgets to be revised to match the pre-pandemic period to enable the PAP to carry out its work.

“For instance, the budget for statutory committee sittings has been reduced by almost half in the 2023 budget. Committees, as we all know, are the engine room of Parliament. In the absence of Committee work, even the Plenary cannot achieve any tangible outcomes. We urgently need to restore the PAP’s pride and place in the continental governance matrix and repair the institution’s battered image. These activities come at a cost. Now that the institution is back to full functionality, we require all the resources we can muster to make up for lost time,” he said.