NewsWhore
09-06-2006, 07:40 PM
New Chamber of Deputies president Julio Cesar Valentin has defended the allocation of funds to NGOs controlled by members of Congress, saying that these were the mechanisms used by the legislators to help poor people in their provinces. Valentin is quoted in El Caribe, speaking up in support of legislators receiving an allocation of funds for social works in their provinces. He assured El Caribe reporter Arismendy Rodriguez that the average amount assigned to each congressional NGO was lower than the Latin American average. Nevertheless, Valentin agreed that legislators who decide the national budget should not legislate in their own favor. He said it would be better to create a special fund and allocate funds to the legislators based on projects they would sponsor and create the mechanisms for GAO auditing and follow up these projects.
Jesuit priest Father Cela commented that the job of legislators is to legislate, not carry out works in their communities. Cela, as reported in Diario Libre, says that that this should be the role of municipal authorities and government ministries. He said that to give legislators funds is not only corruption, but also a way of promoting clientilistic policies that the country certainly does not need.
There is an ongoing debate about the non-governmental agencies included in the National Budget for which legislators are not held accountable, and which they use for political patronage. Now that most of the legislators were not re-elected, there is political opinion being generated to pressurize the new legislators to refrain from creating NGOs.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)
Jesuit priest Father Cela commented that the job of legislators is to legislate, not carry out works in their communities. Cela, as reported in Diario Libre, says that that this should be the role of municipal authorities and government ministries. He said that to give legislators funds is not only corruption, but also a way of promoting clientilistic policies that the country certainly does not need.
There is an ongoing debate about the non-governmental agencies included in the National Budget for which legislators are not held accountable, and which they use for political patronage. Now that most of the legislators were not re-elected, there is political opinion being generated to pressurize the new legislators to refrain from creating NGOs.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#3)