By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 8: Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) working president Thomas Passah has informed that the Secretary of the Secretariat Administration Department (SAD) has summoned party leaders for a clarification hearing regarding an RTI application filed by the party.
Passah told reporters on Monday that the RTI application sought the complete list of employees whose salaries are paid by the SAD each month, a figure he claimed runs into several hundreds.
However, instead of providing the names, he said the department only furnished the number of employees, which KHNAM described as incomplete and unacceptable.
He further said the party received an official letter from the Secretary calling for a hearing on the RTI request, which was held earlier in the day. Describing the hearing as “pleasant”, Passah reiterated that the objective of the RTI was to ensure transparency within the department.
According to him, the purpose of seeking the list of employee names was not to target any individual but to clear doubts over irregular appointments in the department.
“We only want clarity because the public has the right to know where and to whom their money is being paid as salary,” he said.
Passah added that the RTI effort aims to ensure that corruption and illegal appointments do not take place in government departments, and that the practice of appointing individuals favoured by ministers should come to an end. He stressed that transparency in staffing patterns is essential to prevent misuse of public funds and to strengthen accountability within the state administration.
