Here’s a question for the average person in Macedonia: how do you know that the taxes you pay are being spent wisely?
It’s a simple question but actually on that’s quite difficult to answer.
Some might be happy to just trust those spending your tax money. But others will want to be more questioning. They may want to know why the money isn’t being spent on things they care about: whether this is pollution, the road outside their house, or better healthcare. Some may also want confirmation that tax money is not being mismanaged, or worse – going into someone’s pocket.
This week I had the pleasure of taking part in a conference on this very point. The aim of the conference was to present the first report from a project run by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy about the work of the State Audit Office. The British Embassy helped fund the project because we believe in the importance of independent regulatory bodies for democracy.
You may be asking at this stage why we are working on this issue when the very basis of Parliamentary democracy is currently being challenged by a chronic political and constitutional crisis.
In my view the good functioning of the State Audit Office is far from being a side issue. It is fundamental to the future of Parliamentary democracy in Macedonia. I believe this because an effective State Audit Office is one which acts on behalf of the people to hold those in power to account. An effective State Audit Office has the independence to access information that some may want to keep secret – and to challenge and expose that secrecy. It also has the ability to enforce its decisions, through fines or other measures. And – most importantly in my view – an effective State Audit Office is transparent so that the people can see for themselves whether their taxes are being spent wisely and challenge the authorities if they are unhappy with what they see.
In its essence, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy project that we’re funding is really about information. And that’s where it gets to the heart of true democracy – because a fully functional democracy simply can’t exist without credible and reliable information.
In the current environment where “fake news” is a label put by some on any news item that is critical; and where the on line media produce “click bait” regardless of whether a story is true or not – the need for credible, independent information has never been more important.
So all those working to support the State Audit Office to do its job more effectively are doing a very important job. It’s a job that needs to continue despite the protests, despite the politics and despite the ongoing political crisis blocking the work of Government and Parliament.
At some stage this current crisis will end. I know we’ve been saying this for two years now – but we think it’s important not to lose sight of the future when focussing on the now. That future is not owned by today’s politicians. They are merely the architects. The house belongs to the citizens of Macedonia.