Pakatan MPs want action on ministries’ funds abuse

By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Pakatan Rakyat MPs are asking the Barisan Nasional government to take action against excess spending and funds abuse by ministries as revealed in the 2008 Auditor-General’s report.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said revelations in the report and the lack of punitive measures taken against the excess spending have bred a culture of poor management in the government, making a mockery out of the legislature.

“What is the point of debating the Budget for approval if it keeps getting overshot?” asked the DAP parliamentarian at a press conference in Parliament.


He added that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak must do more to curb these practices to ensure that every sen of the rakyat’s money is spent accordingly.

Going through the Auditor-General’s report, Pua said the abuses reported came in the form of excess spending, citing an instance where officials spent several thousand per cent more than the market price for a single item.

“Among the glaring examples (are) the purchase of equipment at wildly inflated prices by the Human Resources Ministry,” he said.

“The Miri training institute (ILP) paid nearly 3,000 per cent more for a RM990 pole platform and the Kepala Batas ILP paying 800 per cent above market price for a RM 1,500 cabinet,” he added.

Another example Pua gave was the purchase of a 6.86-hectare plot of land in Balakong by Prasarana, a company owned by the finance ministry.

An independent valuer estimated the land price at RM 22 million but the government, through its company, had paid 40 per cent or RM 9 million more.

Pua also noted the report’s disclosure of nine ministries spending more than their approved and budgeted expenditures by more than RM 3.6 billion.

Some of the ministries named in the report and highlighted by him are the Education Ministry, which overspent by RM 1.24 billion; the Finance Ministry by RM 772 million; the Health Ministry by RM 690 million; and the Defence Ministry by RM658 million.

The last ministry mentioned was under then-defence minister Najib.