The government accepts audit reports if they are done objectively.

Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum highlighted this while contributing to the debate on the 2018 Audit Report on Government Commercial Companies, Commercial Statutory Authorities and Other Entities.

Sayed-Khaiyum says the government accepts criticism if accounts by entities are not submitted on time.

With a spat of exchange during the debate, Sayed-Khaiyum stressed that members of parliament need to contribute to debates fairly.

“Let’s come to parliament with clean hands. If you know the accounts have been submitted but OAG is delaying it doesn’t say that it is the fault of the entities.”

Sayed-Khaiyum also highlighted that audit reports help identify areas that can be improved.

“That should be really the role of the Auditor-General. The role of the Auditor-General is to go to these Ministries and say look guys we identified this because of these issues. Let’s work with you to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”

The Acting PM says this needs to take place as the entities are run with taxpayer funds and these reports should not be used for political purposes.