States under the Pakatan Rakyat rule should also answer reprimands contained in the 2010 Auditor-General's Report and not just criticising the government, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said it was not right for the opposition to keep on criticising the government for the weaknesses highlighted in the report, pointing out that they too should also be answerable for what happened in their states.

"States under the opposition’s rules are not exonerated from the reprimands. They too have something to answer," he told reporters after launching The School Times mini newspaper at SMK Batu Sepuluh in Lekir, near Sitiawan.

azlan He said Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was also part of the government once and as a deputy prime minister at that time, he would have known that the report would invariably contain reprimands to ensure continuous improvement.

"This report actually shows something, that is the responsibility of the Auditor-General to take into accounts all aspects and to ask for weaknesses to be rectified.

"When the opposition leader was with the government, he knew about this; that even when we have given explanation to the auditor, reprimands are an important element and would be included in the report," he said.

Muhyiddin also hoped that all ministries and agencies would scrutinise the report so that urgent steps can be taken to overcome their weaknesses.

"We want proper spending and utilisation of allocations, without wastage and without elements of misuse of power.

"We should also take into consideration basic things such as accountability, transparency and other criteria in managing the country's finance," he said.

On the mini newspaper he launched today, Muhyiddin said it would help students to improve their command of English.

The newspaper, published every Thursday by the New Straits Times Press Bhd (NSTP), began circulation in 500 selected rural schools in the peninsula.

- Bernama