Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 6.10.2013.
The failings and financial wrongdoings exposed in the 2012 Auditor-General’s(AG) Report highlights the criminal breach of compliance in 5 key principles required in managing public funds of public accountability, transparency, value for money, open and fair competition as well as fair dealings.These failings and financial wrongdoings in government works is critical for Malaysia’s economy because the annual procurement of goods, works and services comes to 25% of the nominal Gross Deomestic Product(GDP)compared to other developed economies whos aanual procurements is only 12% of the GDP.
In other words, the excesses, wastage and financial wrongdoings can have a negative impact on the economy’s growth rate. The AG’s Report highlighted the repeated annual problems of overspending, under-utilised, sub-standard or paid well above market prices in the procurement of works, goods and services such as:-
· RM1.3 milion worth of equipment by the police force that went missing, including 156 handcuffs, 44 weapons and 29 vehicles were missing.
· the Department of Broadcasting’s purchase of 20 wall clocks at RM3,810 each, 38 times more than the estimated RM100 each, and three A4 size scanners at RM14,670 a unit, more than 70 times the estimated price of RM200 each;
· the Customs Department’s having to destroy RM600,000 worth of shoes it had purchased because they did not suit its officers;
· the Melaka state government’s illegal building of its Customs and Immigration Quarantine Complex on private land, which eventually cost it an extra RM10.8 million to compensate the landowner, plus an extra RM40 million in building costs that had shot up because of the delay;
· Ministry of Youth spending RM3 million excessively and imprudently for the National Youth Day celebrations, including RM1.6million to bring in K-Pop groups from Korea.
· RM1.3 billion in additional costs over the USD 2.3 billon Bakun Dam project and paying RMUS$133 million (RM430 million) in compensation to two foreign contractors for losses incurred which suffered delays of up to four years in civil engineering works.
The BN Federal government has been clearly struck dumb and helpless by the magnitude of the wastage and wrongdoings that some have resorted to bullying Malaysiakini journalists to hide and distract attention from the fact that BN is unable to provide answers. DAP condemns such hostile acts and bullying by Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi when he could not answer Malaysiakini how the police could have lost weapons or justify how their public integrity could have improved with such a poor record.
BN leaders should not be in a state of denial but address the weaknesses identified are:-
· Inadequate procurement planning and poor drafting of specifications;
· Insufficient use of open competitive tendering;
· Failure to disclose budget ceiling; and
· Lack of monitoring and evaluation.
Chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa’s announcement that a special committee to study and scrutinise the Auditor-General’s Report 2012, is a laughable attempt to let the issue die down by studying it to death. The Malaysian public will not accept such delaying tactics and spin of the issue to death, as these excesses were repeatedly exposed every year without any action being taken.
Instead BN should accept PR’s sincere offer to set up a 3-person committee comprising of the Deputy Prime Minister as Chair, the Parliamentary Opposition Leader and the Auditor-General to implement structural reforms to stop such abuses of power and to punish wrong-doers. Only a high-powered committee can put fear into the hearts of those who betray the public trust given to those acting as a custodian of public funds. Otherwise we can expect another repeat of the AG 2013 Report, similar as previous reports except for changing the date.
LIM GUAN ENG
—–Mandarin Version —–
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2013年10月6日在吉隆坡：
2012年国家总稽查报告所揭发的疏漏及理财失当，突显了违法不服从五大原则：公信力、透明度、物有所值、公开及公平竞争、公平交易。
2012年国家总稽查报告所揭发的疏漏及财务不当，突显了违法不服从五大原则：公信力、透明度、物有所值、公开及公平竞争、公平交易。政府的疏漏及理财不当对马来西亚的经济有着关键影响，我国政府每年采购、工程及服务占了国民生产总值的25%，与其它发达经济体只占12%。
换句话说，过度挥霍、浪费及理财不当对于我国经济成长起着负面的影响。国家总稽查报告每年都突出过度花费、低使用率、九流或高出市价的工程、货品及服务例如：
· 警队价值130万令吉的配备失踪，包括156个手拷，44支枪械及29辆警用交通工具。
· 广播局以单位价3810令吉购买20个挂钟，比市价100令吉单位价高出38倍。三台A4纸扫描器单位价1万4670令吉，比市价200令吉高出70倍
· 关税局必须销毁价值60万令吉的鞋子，因为它们不适合官员。
· 马六甲州政府的关税及检疫大厦非法建筑于私人地段，导致州政府必须花费额外1080万令吉赔偿地主，加上建筑费因拖延而增加4000万令吉。
· 青年部额外花费300万令吉，国家青年日的花费不谨慎，包括花费160万令吉请来韩国流行歌曲组织。
· 价值23亿美元的巴昆水坝额外支出比成本高出13亿令吉的费用，并且因为在土木工程施工延期4年，而需赔偿1亿3300万美元（约4亿3000万令吉）给两家外国公司。
国阵联邦政府很明显地对于大量的财政疏漏及理财失当感到惊讶得哑口无言、无助，甚至搞到要欺负《当今大马》的记者，以隐藏及转移视线，因为他们根本无法交代。行动党谴责内政部长拿督斯里阿末这种含敌意的欺负行为，他无法回答《当今大马》的提问，即警方如何遗失枪械、在这种不良记录的情况下，如何交代他们的公共廉正？
国阵领袖不应该继续否认，而应该正视他们的缺点：
· 不恰当的采购计划、不恰当的规格说明
· 没有足够的公开竞争竞标;
· 没有揭露预算顶限; 以及
· 缺乏监督及评估
政府首席秘书丹斯里阿里韩沙宣布将成立特别委员会，以研讨及调查2012年总稽查报告，这是非常好笑的，这只是让这个课题沉寂下去，不了了之。我国人民不能接受这种企图拖延行动及让事情不了了之的做法，我们每年都看到公帑过度被挥霍，却没有看到当局采取任何行动。
反之，国阵应该接受民联真诚的献意，成立以副首长为首、包括国会反对党领袖及总稽查司的三人小组委员会，以推行结构改革，停止滥权及惩罚做错事的人士。唯有高职权的委员会才能让那些违背公众信任、没有妥当管理公共资产的人士畏惧。否则，我们只会在2013年总稽查报告重复同样的错误与问题，与了日期改掉之外，其它都一样。
林冠英