(EDITORIAL from the JoongAng Daily on Jan. 28)

dailies-editorials (3)



Vigilance on the rivers audit

The Board of Audit and Inspection has begun its evaluation of the four rivers
restoration project. This is the Lee Myung-bak administration???s signature
project and a total of 22 trillion won ($18.97 billion) will be invested through
2012, when the project is expected to be complete. Approximately 4.86 trillion
won was allocated for the state-run project for this year alone.

The Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs is working to draw up
contracts for related research and construction projects, based on the master
plan the ministry created last June. The BAI has dispatched 11 officials to a
temporary office set up inside the Land Ministry???s four rivers restoration
project headquarters. The agency will intensify its examination of the project by
sending auditors to construction sites beginning in the second half of the year.
Although we anticipate the audit agency will be thorough in its analysis, we
can???t help but pass on several requests. First of all, the BAI should not
undertake these inspections only to be lenient with the incumbent administration
and its pet project. The four rivers restoration project has been controversial
because some believe it is a cover for Lee???s Grand Canal project, while others
say it is a ???financial black hole that eclipses funds for welfare projects.???
The opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, have been pledging to
???take all possible actions to stop the four rivers restoration project??? from
proceeding. In the middle of this kind of controversy, the project could be
brought to a halt by corruption cases related to the contracts and sloppy budget
plans containing duplicate or excessive expenses.
Kim Hwang-sik, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, said in an
interview with the JoongAng Ilbo last year, ???In auditing the project, we will
not create a sanctuary for or impose restrictions on it. If any serious problems
are uncovered, we will consider putting a stop to certain parts of the
project.??? Now that his vow has been made public, the BAI must ensure that it
conducts a strict evaluation of the project.
The audit is significant in terms of our ability to eradicate the deep-seeded
corruption in the provinces. Many state agencies - such as the Ministry of Land,
Transportation and Maritime Affairs; the Environment Ministry; the Ministry for
Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; local governments; and public
corporations - are participating in the river restoration project, which was
initiated to revamp all of the major waterways in the country. The project will
require the implementation of many turnkey contracts. Construction companies
based in the provinces subcontracted to carry out the work will want a cut of the
funds, which will make it difficult for the audit bureau to conduct a proper
inspection.
In addition, local elections are scheduled to take place in June, and it is
expected that local groups will be replaced en masse.
It will be too easy for the project to fail if it is tainted by corruption
scandals originating in the provinces due to a transfer of power following the
elections. Now more than ever, the BAI must be vigilant about its essential role
as the auditor of the four rivers restoration project.
(END)

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