There must be a strong political will and sincerity by the government to seriously address all deficiencies, shortcomings and malfeasance in the Auditor-General’s (AG’s) Report.
President of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners – Malaysia Chapter, Datuk Akhbar Satar, said the prime minister must ensure Cabinet ministers, secretaries-general, and the respective heads, pay serious attention to the report, as it involves the rakyat’s money.
“All the previous governments failed to rectify the weaknesses highlighted in the AG’s Report. Year in and year out, the same mistakes are identified, such as a lack of monitoring, supervision, allowing leakages, mismanagement, corruption, and awarding contracts to companies that do not play by the rules,” said Akhbar.
The AG’s Report highlights deficiencies, shortcomings and malfeasance in the government’s procurement process of goods and services, that were either paid well above market prices, underutilised, or of substandard quality.
“It is pointless for the government to develop good policies if the ministers, public servants, contractors, and businessmen do not have the integrity in implementing the formulated policies.
“Make them responsible and accountable for any weaknesses or leakages. Many contracts are alleged to have been pushed by political lobbyists who are vendors- or contractor-driven, where the prices are marked up to pay bribes or kickbacks,” said Akhbar, who is also former Transparency International Malaysia president.
He said the marked-up costs are either passed on to the public through higher taxes, or the work completed would be of sub-standard quality. Akhbar added that open tender contracts will avoid cronyism, and ensure that contracts are awarded to the best contractors.
Akhbar also observed that officials who committed such offences were allegedly “protected” under the “old boys’ network” that is overwhelmingly prevalent in certain sectors.
“Those reprimanded are often merely transferred to other departments without any stern disciplinary action taken against them. Some with records of poor behaviour or performance even get promoted.”
He said the priority must be to prevent abuse and enhance the procurement process with strong institutional reforms, adequate controls, and safeguards. Every ringgit a corrupt politician or public servant puts in their pockets is a ringgit stolen from the poor.
He added that there was a need to relook at the role of the heads of departments in hospitals. There is a need for training in leadership and management, and set up integrity units to prevent leakages and fraud.
The latest AG 2021 Report (Series 2), released on Feb 16, among others, zeroed in on the healthcare service. It revealed shortcomings in financial management, defective ventilators, expired vaccines, storage for medical equipment, excess personal protective equipment, lack of staff, surplus medical equipment, insufficient oxygen supplies, issues surrounding the MySejahtera mobile application, and even short-comings in providing ambulance services.
“We must start now. Intellectual honesty is important, and leaders must walk the talk. Some claimed to be God-fearing, but enriched themselves through corruption.
“When will we learn our lesson from the AG’s Report?” asked Akhbar. – The Health
