The once-powerful institution charged with oversight of government finances, Parliament's standing committee on public accounts, has become a shadow of its former self.

In the old days, a sure sign of the committee's effectiveness in calling departmental accounting officers to account for themselves was the packed journalistic benches whenever it held hearings.

They couldn't be missed.

One was assured that the committee would be unrelenting in its determination to uncover the truth and apply proper financial management.

Another sure sign was the fear and respect the committee instilled in accounting officers, who dreaded the grilling they inevitably faced about their performance.

Nowadays, though, director-generals say they no longer have sleepless nights when scheduled to face the committee, because they are not confronted with tough questions.

Even committee members seem bored, and opposition party members claim the committee struggles to get a quorum nearly every time it meets, though the ruling party denies this.

United Democratic Movement representative on the committee Gerhard Koornhof says the committee has lost its "bite" and become a "toothless tiger". Controversial issues are given a wide berth as the "lameduck" committee goes through the motions of fulfilling its role.

"The arms deal left the committee in tatters. It has never reached its former level of effectiveness since then, even though it goes through the motions (it) has not tackled one controversial issue of national importance since the arms deal."

The Inkatha Freedom Party's Gavin Woods reports that it seems to be operating smoothly in a "conveyor belt" kind of way. Auditor-general reports are processed efficiently, but there is no independent, critical interrogation of them.

Nor, he says, has the committee proactively taken up issues such as procurement, the use of computer technology in government and training and capacity building.

"The committee has lost its soul. There is a boredom. Attendance is not what it used to be. Vibrancy and passion have been lost," claims Woods.

This approach is important if the committee, which oversees public expenditure, is to ensure that taxpayers' money is used to best advantage.

The appointment of a new chairman, New National Party MP Francois Beukman, was necessary following the resignation of Woods.

With this choice, the African National Congress (ANC)-dominated committee paid mere lip service to the long-standing principle of having an opposition party member as chairman. Beukman has been criticised as being far too nice and accommodating, too reluctant to rock the boat and too much at the beck and call of the ANC. Commentators also say he lacks the technical expertise to make substantive interventions.

Beukman says that politics has been removed from the committee which is now operating efficiently on the basis of multiparty co-operation. "We will not shy away from dealing with controversial issues," he insists.

ANC public accounts spokesman Vincent Smith says where there are controversial issues, these have been dealt with and inter-party schisms have been mended. He denies that morale is low and absenteeism is high.

With acknowledgements to Linda Ensor and Business Day.