Anti-corruption NGO Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) aims to fuel public sector accountability with the launch of a crowdsourcing campaign, at www.combatcorruption.my , one day after the Auditor-General’s Report (3rd series) is presented.

C4 directors said today that although the auditor-general must be commended for his efforts, financial accountability of public money has been a constant bane in Malaysia.

“The auditor-general should be commended in using a direct and unbiased approach in his appraisals and has sought to call a spade a spade, a rare trait in our public service today.

“A lack of transparent policies and poor budgetary controls, have all but left a gaping hole in public confidence among Malaysians over fiscal governance and its management.

“It comes as no surprise then, that when the Auditor-General’s Reports get presented in Parliament, it often meets with stunned reactions, followed by raucous and vociferous debates on the scale of offences highlighted.

“These range from procedural irregularities, indiscipline to outright notoriety such as mismanaging public funds, soliciting bribes and engaging in corrupt practices. Needless to say these dishonourable acts have cost Malaysian taxpayers whopping losses in millions of ringgit year after year,” said C4 in a press statement. 

Outrageous episodes of wastage exposed

The Auditor-General’s Report is the culmination of a formal audit and appraisal process of the public sector in Malaysia in accordance with the Audit Act 1957.

There are 27 ministries, 110 departments and 118 statutory bodies at the federal level, and 13 State Treasury offices, 251 departments, 145 statutory bodies, 145 local authorities and 16 Islamic Religious Councils at the state level in Malaysia that fall within the ambit of the National Audit Department.

In recent years, the audit reports have outlined important attestations of outrageous episodes of wastage, leakages and blatant corruption.

“The millions lost through such ignominious means could have been used to alleviate the people’s financial burdens and reduce ballooning government debts.

“The mass media gets into a frenzy for a short while, only to have it fizzle out just as quickly,” C4 said.

Focussing attention on public spending

Explaining the crowdsourcing campaign, which will be launched on Nov 11, C4 said the crowdsourcing responses to the auditor-general’s report would be an innovative way of garnering thoughts and attention on public spending.            

“(This includes) finding ways to work with and offer solutions to the government in order to nip poor government practices plaguing our public service.

“This campaign is an attempt to fuel public momentum and build constructive feedback into the findings of the auditor-general’s reports,” C4 further explained.

As for the campaign, citizens will be encouraged to actively engage in constructive comments and feedback.

Commentaries from MPs and news clippings will be uploaded to allow good sources of updated information on the audit reports.

The team in C4 will pick the most constructive 100 to 150 comments, compile it into a citizens’ report, and hand it over to the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament for further action.

“Offline initiatives will also be organised to generate momentum into the crowdsourcing website,” C4 added.

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