For once the Auditor-General's report has taken on an importance never before accorded before thanks to the change in the political landscape.

This is especially so with the surfacing of the numerous national financial scandals since the last elections.

So the expectation is that a lot of jaundiced eyes would be focused on the 2008 Auditor-General (AG) report which is scheduled to be released on October 24.

Stressing that there would be no delays, a spokesperson from the auditor-general's office said that the report would be out a day after the 2010 budget is announced.

"The report is ready to be tabled in parliament. It is the standard practise every year to release the audit report after the budget has been tabled," she said.

Prime Minister Najib Razak is expected to table the budget when parliament convenes its third meeting of the second session starting October 19.

With the release of the auditor-general's report, errant ministries and government agencies should be prepared to be taken to task by a more vocal civil society as tax-payers' monies are involved.

Although evidence of over-spending, mismanagement of funds, unauthorised payment, overpriced goods and services and wasted equipment have often been highlighted in the report, scant attention had been paid to them all these years.

A vicious cycle

More often than not, the hue and cry would last several months , only to be forgotten.

An example is last year's AG report which revealed missing equipment for teaching Science and Maths amounting to RM9.56 million as well as sloppy installation and poor condition of the equipment upon arrival.

Another was the 2007, the Bakun hydro-electric dam project which came under fire after its cost ballooned from an initial RM4.5 billion to RM7.5 billion.

Universiti Malaya Faculty of Economics and Administration Professor Edmund Terence Gomez hopes that the AG will carry out the agenda of reform in the government, adding a cautionary note that the government can be extremely authoritarian if it wants to be.

"How much the AG is at liberty to reveal is another thing. The independence of executives is questionable and I doubt if there would really be any kind of expose," he said.

Urging the government to be responsive in addressing these issues, he also called on it to come down heavily on corruption to attract more foreign investors.

When asked to comment on the public's indifference several months after the expose, Prof Gomez has this to offer: "There are too many issues for people to keep track of. Currently, people are overloaded with issues. Practically every month there is a by-election."

Although former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad once remarked "give Malaysians 100 days and they would forget", he said that the people have became more demanding after March 8 elections.

Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng is also sceptical that this year would be any different from the last. He pointed out that there is no evidence of a check and balance system in handling public projects.

Sharing Khoo's views, Public Accounts Committee deputy chairman Tan Seng Giaw said that many of the AG's disclosures are "getting old" and public interest wanes after a prolonged period.

"We do not follow-up enough. Everybody finds excuses and scapegoats," he said.