G5: Act fast to check alleged abuses in govt spending

 

The G25 group has urged the government to expedite the implementation of the proposed Government Procurement Act.

"This is an important act because much of the political abuse in government spending happens through the award of contracts to political favourites and cronies, involving over-pricing of contracts at the expense of the government budget.

"It also has damaging effects on genuine private sector companies which lose out in the bidding process because of unfair competition.

“The new act will ensure that there are proper procedures to avoid the deliberate mismanaging of the country’s finances to benefit the preferred relatives, friends, or politicians," the group said in a statement today.

In the same statement, G25 also welcomed the announcement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said that the Political Funding Bill will be referred to a parliamentary select committee.

Ugly stories

According to the group, political funding is the "root cause" of corruption in many countries, and several nations have taken steps to reform the way donations are made to political parties to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity.

"Malaysia must proceed faster in the reform agenda of the unity government to address the allegations about money politics and all the ugly stories that are associated with such politics.

"We are encouraged by the work that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Political Financing, which was officially approved by Parliament on April 23, 2023, has done so far in its discussions on the bill.

"We hope their deliberations will continue without further delay to arrive at an early consensus to make our democracy a respectable one," the group said. - Mkini