No fewer than 13 ministries and divisions of the government have been directed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) to furnish details, within four days, of more than a thousand vehicles that have remained unaccounted for, for the last several years. These vehicles were purchased out of public fund for development related projects, which, as per rules should have been reverted to the government motor pool after completion of the relevant projects, which has not been done. Even government inquiries into the matter have failed to track these vehicles, which are on the holding list of very high profile ministries and divisions, except for a negligible number.

The lack of supervision and accountability has been carried to the extreme by the fact that the government exchequer has been further taxed by the purchase of fuel for these 'unaccounted' transports that are used reportedly on unofficial duties that include use by not only high officers of the ministry concerned but also by officers unrelated to the project and even by their family members.

This, to say the least, is gross misuse of government resources and speaks of the poor system of checks and accountability of the ministries and divisions of the government, not to speak of the utter disregard for the tax payers money.

It is perhaps not for nothing that we are ranked as the most corrupt country in the world, and if we are to remove the stigma that has been with us for the last four years we must purge the administration of deadwoods and corrupt officials to start with.

We are happy to note that as the first of its tasks, the ACC has chosen to go into the case of the missing vehicles. It is important that not only are these vehicles traced out to prevent further misuse of public property, those that are found responsible for this must be also made to account for their action and taken to task.