THE Auditor-General's Report 2011 tabled in Parliament yesterday reflected "better financial management" from government agencies but the same old problems plaguing the some of the departments remain, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said.
"The most obvious problems still revolved around the way these federal agencies handle their contracts, maintenance of buildings and procurements," said PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid after a meeting Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang.
Azmi said PAC plans to hauled up errant government agencies highlighted in the report and those which have committed serious mismanagement.
"The AG recommended nearly 30 federal agencies. But we will sit down next week and decide which one to be called up for investigations.
"We will call some within this year and may go on to next year," Azmi said.
The Padang Besar MP said the latest report showed some improvements within the government agencies but many were still "plagued" with the lack of maintenance culture — a similar problem highlighted in the 2010 Auditor-General's Report.
Despite the setback, Azmi said the report stated that more agencies received better ratings compared to the previous report.
"Among the federal and state agencies vetted, 111 of them obtained a four-star rating compared to 77 in the 2010 report — a handsome 10 per cent increase," he said.
On the 2010 Auditor-General's Report, Azmi said PAC was still waiting for responses from several government agencies to explain actions taken against the civil servants who had been named in the report.
"We have not receive any responses and hope they will give the reply to us soon," Azmi said.
PAC deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw said one of the matters that had caught PAC's attention was the construction of a hospital in Kluang, Johor, which was completed at a whopping RM380 million and one year behind schedule.
"These contracts were done through direct negotiations. So, we might look into it and see why," he said.
In the meantime, Ambrin said he hoped the report would be a reminder for civil servants to be more thorough when executing their work.
The 552-page report also audited government subsidiary companies while the full version of the report was accompanied by two separate books on the Treasury Department's feedback to the raised
The first feedback report, totalling 594 pages, details the Treasury's response regarding the financial performances and statements of various ministries and government departments and government-linked companies (
The second feedback, in 168 pages, details the performance of federal statutory bodies and government subsidiary
Earlier in the Dewan Rakyat, delay in the tabling of the report was criticised by the opposition but Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was non-committal in taking a stand on the matter.
"It is not nice for the MPs to teach the ministers how to do their jobs. I will meet with the Speaker and we hope the next Auditor-General's Report will be tabled in better circumstances," he said.
-mmail.com.my
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