RIYADH: The tasks of the General Auditing Bureau (GAB) will not be transferred to the newly-formed National Anti-Corruption Commission, according to Osama Bin Jafar Faqih, the GAB Chairman. The GAB is responsible for monitoring financial and administrative performance, he said Tuesday, during a symposium in Riyadh entitled “Measuring performance in government departments”. He said the GAB is willing to cooperate fully with the commission and shares its experiences if required. It will form joint teams to look into all of its cases and reports over the last 30 years. He revealed that a committee was formed about six years ago to oversee the performance of government departments, consisting of members from the GAB, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Institute of Public Administration and the Ministry of Finance. The GAB head stressed that measuring the performance of government departments and public satisfaction must be done according to international standards. Measuring transaction facilitation and adequate costs requires a strategic plan and standards agreed upon by everyone. “These issues (performance and public satisfaction) must be measured by the end of every year, and the results announced as incentives to continue working to serve the national economy.” Measuring performance of the state's departments is in compliance with the directives of King Abdullah “and is evidence that the state is determined to proceed on the course of comprehensive reform; and the evolution of regulations to strengthen monitoring of government departments' performance and efficiency”. These issues are the foundation for sustainable development, for meeting peoples' legitimate requirements and providing an honorable living to them without harming the rights of future generations, he said. To achieve this, “scientific and objective criteria and standards must be put in place to measure and assess each sector's performance based on the nature of its activities, (to enable) decision-makers to measure the extent of progress, tackle weaknesses and enhance points of strength”. He said the bureau has issued rules for thorough auditing and created an independent division for monitoring performance, detecting misuse of public funds, and analyzing the factors involved in violations and excesses. The existence of national indicators guarantees transparency and assessment of national advancement and enables officials to plan and lay down policies.
