MISUSE of government vehicles merits an investigation, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Office of Public Auditor among government employees.
Also on the list of concerns: the lawmakers’ subsistence allowance, equal opportunity education, misconduct in office, potential abuse of federal funds, misuse of government time, concerns over falsifying information pertaining to federal programs, unfair hiring practices, and abuse of authority.
OPA said 541 government employees participated in the survey conducted from Dec. 6 to 31, 2021. According to the fiscal year 2022 budget, the CNMI government, excluding the autonomous agencies, has over 4,300 employees.
Public Auditor Kina B. Peter said OPA distributed online survey forms to CNMI government employees on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to solicit their concerns and potential issues.
She said OPA plans to solicit feedback from government employees annually and would like to encourage all recipients of the survey forms to participate and provide input.
“OPA is looking to increase the response rate to at least 50% next year and hopefully reach 100% response rate in the future. OPA stresses that the survey is anonymous and no individual will be tied to a survey response. Should there be discreet information provided, OPA will not release specific and identifiable information,” Peter said.
Areas of concern
Asked what areas within their respective agencies or programs they believe merit an investigation, 154 of the respondents mentioned misuse of government vehicles; subsistence allowance of legislative members; equal opportunity education; misconduct in office; potential abuse of federal funds; misuse of government time; concerns over falsifying information with regards to federal programs; unfair hiring practices; and abuse of authority.
312 of the respondents were concerned with the misuse of government time (29%); procurement and bidding (28%); preferential treatment toward family members (26%); use of government supplies and/or resources (25%); contract management (24%); misuse of government vehicles (20%); official government travel practices (18%); and cash collection/handling process (11%).
Asked which areas within their agency or program they believe should be audited, 14% of 215 respondents were interested to know how funds were and are being spent within their agency as it pertains to the annual budget.
There were also concerns about transparency and funds that are not being utilized in the agency’s best interest; timekeeping practices ranging from time theft and preferential treatment; human resource issues regarding compensation; the need for desk audits; official government travel practices; contract management; ethics regarding hiring practices; preferential treatment toward friends and/or family; misuse of government time; misconduct or abuse of power involving administrators or management; capital items and inventory management; and agency-specific standard operating procedures.
75% of survey respondents stated that they have the proper training, tools, and equipment to execute their job functions effectively.
Asked to explain their responses, 36% of the respondents said they feel they have the training, tools, and equipment needed for their jobs. Many described the supportive atmosphere from management in providing adequate and appropriate training upon hire and continuous training to keep them updated with new technology and evolving policies.
In addition, the survey indicates that approximately 21% of respondents expressed interest in undergoing ethics training on conflicts of interest, unfair hiring practices, political activity in the workplace, gift-giving or receiving, and the “Do’s and Don’ts” of working in a government agency in the CNMI.
