1999 marks the end of one millennium and the beginning of another. Readers will join me in applauding the efforts of our colleagues, whose contribution have resulted in this bumper issue of the Journal for the year. This is clearly an indication of the growing involvement of the practitioners of state audit in serious professional discussions, and their willingness to share their multifarious experiences at a common forum.
1998, was yet another year full of activities, interactions and opportunities for the staff of our SAIs to meet with colleagues across the region at various meetings, seminars and workshops. Indeed it would not be an exaggeration to say that ASOSAI is now one of the most active professional regional groups in the World.
On behalf of the ASOSAI fraternity we would like to welcome to the ASOSAI forum Azerbaijan, Bhutan and Iran, since at its next meeting the Governing Board will consider their applications. Thus by the end of the year the total membership of ASOSAI will rise to 34.
It was a proud movement for all of us in the ASOSAI community when the two most prestigious professional awards of INTOSAI, namely the Elmer B. Staats and thejorg Kandutsch Awards were conferred on Mr. Ram Babu Nepal, Asstt. Auditor General of Nepal and Mr. V.K. Shunglu, Comptroller and Auditor General of India respectively.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Satrio Budihardjo Joedono, who assumed office as Chairman of Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan, and thereby the chairmanship, of ASOSAI. ASOSAI looks forward to his dynamic leadership and innovations in the manner of his illustrious predecessors.
This issue of the Journal contains 7 articles ranging from Environmental Auditing to Measuring effectiveness of auditing itself, and include the audit of Economic Reforms, Evaluation of Internal Controls and the Audit of Power Purchase Agreements. This shows the wide range of professional concerns, and how we address broad issues as well as focus on specific ones. It would greatly encourage the contributors, and provide an excellent opportunity for professional interchange, if readers were to respond to these articles, so that we could open a "Readers Forum" in our next issue.
This issue also carries a book review, and we would welcome our readers to contribute reviews of books that may be of topical interest, so that this becomes another source of information in the Journal.
The next millennium has been termed by many as the "Asian millennium", certainly the response received in the shape of contributions to this edition would find our Asian Journal meeting the challenge.