Lack of public anger over A-G’s reports?

 

I have been getting WhatsApp messages voicing consternation over the civil service’s efficacy and integrity, or rather the lack thereof, as shown by the latest auditor-general’s report.

Year in, year out, we hear the same sorry stories about the civil service: wastage of public funds, inefficiency, profligacy, incompetence and dishonesty.

One of the most forwarded bits of news was the auditor-general’s call for an overhaul of the management of the National Professors Council’s (MPN) which is overseen by the Prime Minister’s Department (PMO).

The 2024 report, released on July 4, recommended that the PMO refer the irregularities in the management of the MPN to the enforcement agencies.

According to a FMT report, the irregularities include the discovery that two MPN trustees misused RM373,516 of the council’s funds to finance the operations of two companies in which they held shares.

Auditor-general Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi noted a conflict of interest as the trustees had failed to declare their interests as shareholders in the two companies in accordance with the Companies Act 2016.

The A-G also found that the council’s chairman and deputy chairman were paid RM207,000 in allowances without ministerial approval.

The MPN received government grants totalling RM28.06 million from 2015 to 2018, RM3.38 million in 2022 and RM4.4 million in 2023.

There were other issues too, such as the inefficient management of grants, but you can read the details elsewhere in the FMT report.

What I want to say is that this is terribly, terribly damaging to MPN and public university professors in general.

Already, people refer to some academics as “kangkong professors” because they are seen to be unfit for the position based on some of the claims they make, their theses or other actions.

Two of those who contacted me expressed disgust, saying professors were entrusted to teach new generations of leaders and if they were not quite effective or honest, what could we expect of the thousands of students who leave the universities every year.

One even said: “No wonder there is so much mismanagement and corruption in the civil service, resulting in the A-G having to work very hard.”

But, to be fair, being a professor does not automatically make one a good manager of money. And there are competent and honest professors.

Still, the public expects better from its professors, especially those in public institutions whose salary comes from the tax payer.

The A-G called out Mara Incorporated Sdn Bhd  for its “inefficient implementation of activities” resulting in accumulated losses of RM286.3 million.

The A-G said RM384.49 million in spare parts were wasted because Royal Malaysian Navy ships did not use them. The report also found “weaknesses” in the procurement of new vessels, which did not follow schedule.

The above are just a few of the cases from the A-G’s report. There are many more such “weaknesses” detailed in the report about government departments and companies.

The “weaknesses” in the implementation of government projects arose, A-G Wan Suraya  said, due to factors such as a lack of coordination between agencies, a lack of monitoring or supervision, incomplete databases and weaknesses in policies and work procedures.

“These weaknesses result in programmes, activities or projects not being completed within the set period, substandard work quality, increased costs, and the government not receiving value for the money spent,” she added.

What a terrible waste of public funds. If this wastage is prevented or even reduced, there is so much that the money saved can be used for.

As usual, the ministers and the chief secretary to the government will trot out the usual statements about not tolerating such things, with promises of action.

I’ve been writing about A-G’s reports for decades and I’ve heard the same excuses from the authorities.

And the findings of the A-G are similar, except for a difference in the department or agency, the items or projects involved and the amount of money wasted.

Let me give you an example: The 2013 auditor-general’s report found that almost RM12 million in pensions was paid to 3,000 dead veterans. The then defence ministry secretary-general Ismail Ahmad said his staff “would improve” themselves.

The A-G, in the 2007 report, said they were unable to locate RM9.56 million in equipment supposed to have been sent to 812 schools between 2005 and 2007 for the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English.

In the 1993 report, the A-G was astounded that RM54 million was spent on repairing and maintaining a Royal Malaysian Navy warship, bought secondhand in 1977 for RM15 million.

I can go on but I’m sure you get the picture.

The A-G’s annual report is an indictment of our civil servants, especially those in senior positions. I don’t know if they realise that it shows them in horribly bad light. It shows how inefficient or lazy or incompetent or dishonest or careless some of them are, and how deficient the systems and processes are.

Yet, the government is so accommodative of civil servants, giving them salary increments, bonuses and special payments.

Over the next few days, we can expect the Madani Government to promise action against erring civil servants and an improvement to the systems and processes. But you and I have heard this too many times before to take it seriously.

Perhaps that is why neither the authorities nor the civil servants take it seriously. Perhaps there is not enough public anger. Just venting feelings or making fun on social media may not be enough.

This is another reason for a reform of the civil service. And any such reform must make it easier to sack government servants who are dishonest or incompetent. Also, bonuses and salaries must be tied to their performance. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT