Officers in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are learning
to watch every penny they spend as the leadership demands better
accounting and value for money.
General Liao Xilong, chief of the PLA General Logistics
Department and a member of the Central Military Commission who also
leads the military audit office, says officers are shouldering more
financial responsibility as the PLA's modernization and combat
readiness improves.
"The implication is that auditing is becoming evermore
important," Liao said.
Statistics from the PLA auditing office show 13,594 military
officers with finance responsibilities have been inspected over the
past decade, and 9,828 or 72 percent have been audited since the
start of the tenth five-year period (2001-2005), but it is not
clear how much money has been improperly used.
The PLA plans to inspect at least 4,000 officers above regiment
level by 2010, including at least 100 generals.
"Officers at middle and senior levels are the backbone of the
PLA and play a crucial role in policy implementation. Whether or
not officers with financial duties can manage military budgets to
improve combat effectiveness is a significant issue we can't afford
to ignore," he said.
The PLA had a special military audit office installed in 1985,
which originally targeted only military entities involved in
equipment and materials management and engineering
construction.
It was only after 1988 when the military force in Heilongjiang
took the lead in scrutinizing individuals that the practice became
routine throughout the armed forces.
Liao said the priorities of auditors would be leaders whose
departments were responsible for projects with significance to the
PLA's combat effectiveness.
"Auditors must monitor the full process of such projects from
budgeting to expenditure and evaluate project effectiveness upon
accomplishment," he said.
Other targets include military officers with authority in
budgeting, procurement and engineering construction and who have
triggered complaints among lower ranks or have been reported for
malpractice.
"It's a basic rule that auditing must precede the promotion or
retirement of all individuals with financial responsibilities,"
Liao said.
Audits of individuals led to greater budgetary awareness, while
discouraging transgressions and corruption from the top down, he
said.
The government has budgeted 350.9 billion yuan (US$48.79
billion) on military expenditure this year.
The money would be used to improve living conditions and
accommodation of the rank-and-file, training on new equipment and
special technologies, intensified training of specialist units, as
well as upgrading armaments and other equipment.
"Military auditing is anything but locking the stable door after
the horse has bolted," Liao said. "Its goal is to rectify problems,
optimize management, establish a long-term mechanism for
modernizing the PLA so it can use less to achieve more."
The general said auditing officers should be a routine job
jointly carried out by audit, discipline and finance departments.
The audit results should also provide references for
promotions.
"For those who excel in their daily management, auditing
departments should propose commendations; for whose who are
misunderstood or unfairly treated, auditing departments can
straighten out problems and reveal the facts."
Those who flouted laws and regulations must be dealt with in
line with military discipline and regulations, Liao said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2007)