Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that his explanation that the government had paid for a K-Pop concert last year was based on information provided to him by the ministry.
However, Khairy, who took over as minister from Ahmad Shabery Cheek after the May 5 polls, said that it was up to the latter to explain as the minister in charge when the concert took place last year.
“It is up to him to answer to the Public Accounts Committee.
“My answer was based on information I had from the ministry...
“His explanation on the subsidisation of the programme has its basis but it is better for him to explain himself,” he said.
However, Khairy, who took over as minister from Ahmad Shabery Cheek after the May 5 polls, said that it was up to the latter to explain as the minister in charge when the concert took place last year.
“It is up to him to answer to the Public Accounts Committee.
“My answer was based on information I had from the ministry...
“His explanation on the subsidisation of the programme has its basis but it is better for him to explain himself,” he said.
The ministry was ticked-off by the auditor-general for “imprudent spending” for the 2012 Hari Belia celebration, which included a RM1.6 million K-Pop concert.
In response, Khairy had said the ministry, which last year said the concert was privately-sponsored, footed the bill when sponsorship pledges fell through.
However, Shabery called the auditor-general “culas” (not dilligent) for not accounting for the RM20 million in private sponsorship it had received through the Malaysian Sports Council used for the event.
Khairy was speaking to the media after a dialogue with the Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) alumni at its Sepang college.
In response, Khairy had said the ministry, which last year said the concert was privately-sponsored, footed the bill when sponsorship pledges fell through.
However, Shabery called the auditor-general “culas” (not dilligent) for not accounting for the RM20 million in private sponsorship it had received through the Malaysian Sports Council used for the event.
Khairy was speaking to the media after a dialogue with the Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) alumni at its Sepang college.
Expanding IKBN's capacity
He said that the ministry is expanding IKBN’s capacity from 10,000 students today to 15,000 nationwide by end of 2015.
It will do so through introducing “double shifts” in the colleges, whereby students train in two sessions and take turns to use the workshops and attend theory lessons.
The “double shift” implementation will start in the first intake of 2014, while 200 new instructors will be hired.
“Expanding the capacity will cost us RM50 to RM80 million, which is cheaper than building a single IKBN college which costs about RM100 million,” he said.
“This is our commitment to uplift vocational and technical education in the country.”
Responding to the alumni complaints, he said that the ministry is also in the process of upgrading IKBN equipment so that students will no longer trained on outdated equipment.
He said that the ministry is expanding IKBN’s capacity from 10,000 students today to 15,000 nationwide by end of 2015.
It will do so through introducing “double shifts” in the colleges, whereby students train in two sessions and take turns to use the workshops and attend theory lessons.
The “double shift” implementation will start in the first intake of 2014, while 200 new instructors will be hired.
“Expanding the capacity will cost us RM50 to RM80 million, which is cheaper than building a single IKBN college which costs about RM100 million,” he said.
“This is our commitment to uplift vocational and technical education in the country.”
Responding to the alumni complaints, he said that the ministry is also in the process of upgrading IKBN equipment so that students will no longer trained on outdated equipment.
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