Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) has urged that heads of each ministry be held accountable over wastages found in their ministries highlighted in the auditor-general's report.

Its president Akhbar Satar ( left ) said that otherwise, the report, which is tabled to Parliament thrice yearly will never be taken seriously.

“TI-M urges the prime minister to investigate whether public funds have been spent prudently and make every minister acocuntable for failure to comply with finance regulations, management, high-priced procurement, 'not value for money' and unachieved targets.

“It must be the duty of each and every minister as head of ministry to ensure their own integrity and that of all others below them,” he said in a statement.

Akhbar said that legal action should be taken in cases where procedures are not followed to serve as a lesson.

He said that the government's apparent “lackasaidal attitude” on to take correction action has caused such non-compliance to recur year after year.

This is to the extent of cultivating a “culture of corruption” which he claims exists in almost every government department. 

“When will we ever learn from the A-G's Report? This is happening despite the Auditor-General's previous exhortations, to improve our standards of good governance and integrity.

“TI-M is willing and ready to cooperate with all parties including Public Accounts Committee, Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission, attorney-general, National Key Results Area for Anti-Corruption and the Prime Minister’s Department to work on finding solutions to tackle these issues continue to be highlighted in A-G’s Report,” he said.

Only one sacked

Meanwhile, Gerakan Wanita chief Tan Lian Hoe (below) said that chief secretary Ali Hamsa must answer for yet another series of mismanagement.

“The whole report sounds familiar and it does not surprise me. The chief secretary as the head of the civil service of Malaysia has a duty to explain the mismanagement and leakages persistently occurred in the civil service.

"Apart from calling more ministries and statutory bodies to explain weaknesses in the management of finances highlighted in the report, I believe the chief secretary must also explain and shed light on the deficiencies or weaknesses in the civil service,” she said in a statement.

According to Public Accounts Committee chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed (left) , one civil servant was sacked following the A-G's Report 2012.

Nur Jazlan said that of the 92 cases which have been investigated, 41 individuals have been slapped with a surcharge, two have been fined while 32 were issued warnings.

"The remaining six are in the midst of disciplinary proceedings," he said.

The cases involve 152 individuals, but none have been taken to court to face criminal charges, he said.

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