How will Putrajaya spend GST revenue, asks Wan Azizah

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail wants to know how Putrajaya intends to use revenue collected from the goods and services tax (GST). – The Malaysian Insider pic, May 21, 2015Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today questioned how Putrajaya intends to use revenue collected from the goods and services tax (GST).

"How will the (revenue from) GST be spent? The government previously said 1MDB will benefit the people, but we can see now (who) it has benefitted," she told reporters today, referring to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Dr Wan Azizah was speaking after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's tabling of the 11th Malaysia Plan in Parliament.

In tabling the five-year development blueprint today, Najib pledged that revenue from the GST will be used for the benefit of the people and that his government will announce where the revenue of the broad-based consumption tax will be spent.

But public confidence is low, given the government's handling of state investment vehicle 1MDB which had incurred RM42 billion in debts after six years of operations.

Criticism has been mounting against Najib and the government over 1MDB's debts and opaque dealings, with scrutiny growing intense after exposes by whistleblower website Sarawak Report.

The Auditor-General is currently looking through 1MDB's books, with a preliminary report expected to be submitted to the Parliament in June, while Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) started its investigation into the company on Tuesday.

Dr Wan Azizah said her Pakatan Rakyat coalition will study the 11MP closely based on good governance principles and its federal lawmakers will give constructive criticisms when debating the plan next week.

- TMI