Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has called for a review of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) to combat corruption in the country, saying the law "conceals thousands of sins".

The Umno veteran, popularly known as Ku Li, also wants the Financial Procedure Act 1957 (FPA) to be re-looked in order to limit the powers bestowed on the finance minister.

"Not everything must be a secret. I am not angry with the government, but these are the weaknesses in our system because we abuse the existing powers.

"I know this Act (Financial Procedure Act) because I used it when I was in the Finance Ministry," the Gua Musang MP told a forum in Kuala Lumpur today.

The former two-term finance minister said weaknesses exist in the country's financial system.

In fact, he recommended that open tenders be implemented to ensure a solution to the country’s corruption and the financial problems.

"If we want to tackle the problem of corruption, we have to look at the FPA.

'The money spent belongs to the people'

There are many flaws, Tengku Razaleigh said, pointing out that the finance minister has the power to conduct direct negotiations.

"The responsibilities we hold for the people are great. These are the people's assets. Since alls sort of taxes are collected, the money that is spent belongs to the public, it cannot be spent carelessly," he said.

Tengku Razaleigh also said the government needed to implement open tenders for projects, where only those who qualify are eligible to apply.

"We have to conduct this in a fair and right manner," he added.

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