Wastages, discrepancies by civil servants unacceptable, says Anwar

Anwar says the latest revelation by the Auditor General 'is a case of deja vu'. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 9, 2013.The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must conduct a thorough investigation into the discrepancies and wastages revealed in the 2012 Auditor General's Report and charge those responsible, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

"The rakyat are already suffering from additional burden caused by the rise in fuel prices and the possible introduction of the goods and services tax (GST).

"The lackadaisical attitude of the government and civil servants in spending the public's money is totally unacceptable," the opposition leader said in a statement.

"It is a case of deja vu again, the 2012 Auditor General Report revealed the lack of care in the management of government finances and assets, weak supervision of public projects, continued financial malpractices.

"More importantly, it displays the lack of political resolve and will to stop all the leakages and inefficiencies by civil servants in managing public funds.

"Despite promises by the government that transformation is taking place, what seems to be continuing is a continued lackadaisical attitude in spending government money," he said.

Anwar slammed Putrajaya for not taking firm action on repeat offenders, adding that various ministries spend money without a worry in the world.

"Malaysia has been cautioned on the international front for overspending and not doing enough to curb its expenditure. Instead of being more prudent, the government continues its old habit of spending every single cent it has," he said.

He highlighted several examples of the government spending without putting the necessary controls in place, such as the Transport Ministry spending RM1.42 billion from an allocation of RM1.47 billion to upgrade the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

"Despite spending 96% of the allocation, the project, which was initiated in 2006, is far from completion with the arrival hall and toilets in an unsatisfactory condition.

"Since 2010, a total of 599 potholes were discovered on the runway and taxiway, and have yet to be repaired."

Anwar cited another example, the RM2.051 billion spent between 2010 and 2012 by the Education Ministry on hiring unarmed security personnel at public schools and institutions of higher learning.

He said the lack of monitoring resulted in inadequate security personnel being used to keep the various premises safe.

Anwar pointed out that a senior official from the Information, Communication and Culture Ministry went to Geneva on a paid training trip, resulting in RM303,813 bill.

He said a total of RM41 million was wasted on improper payments and overpaid items.

He noted that even the Inland Revenue Board caused a loss of an estimated RM62 million due to delays in the collection of corporate taxes.

The Youth and Sports Ministry, meanwhile, spent RM67.6 million on National Youth Day 2012, despite only having an allocation of RM15 million.

As such, Anwar urged the MACC to expedite investigations, adding that Putrajaya should also look for the "sharks" responsible instead of only penalising the "small fry".