Letters To The Editor

Secretariat responds

Dear Sir, It is not my practice to write in order to get in the ‘paper’, but on this occasion there is no option if the record is to be put

straight.

Your article in the August edition on the Forum particularly the part about the alle gation of inconsistent and administrative malpractice, ignored important informa tion in order to ‘invent’ a story.

At the time our 1995 accounts were audited, the Auditor-General raised a num ber of queries seeking an explanation from the Secretariat.

There is nothing unusual about that. It is a normal procedure and part of the pro cess to enable the auditor to form an opin ion about the accounts and other important matters.

The fact that they were raised by the auditor does not in itself prove that the Secretariat, was “bedevilled with allega tions of inconsistent and poor administra tive practices’ as your article states.

The issue is whether the Auditor- General is satisfied with our explanation.

In this particular case and in all the previ ous five years at least, the auditors have always been satisfied with our explana tions provided both in writing and in dis cussion with them.

As a result there were clean audit reportseverytimg.

Not only that, but the auditorduring this period has been able to advise the members that there has been nothing sig nificant that he needed to bring to their attention.

Any organisation with that independent unqualified Audit Report will be justifi ably pleased with the result.

It is unfortunate that your article conve niently ignored the Auditor General’s Report, even though a copy was provided to your reporter.

This leaves your readers with an inac curate impression about how the Forum Secretariat is managed.

Ieremia T. Tabai

Secretary General South Pacific Forum Secretariat