The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have been urged to open their enquiries and investigations to the public.

Centre to Combat Cronyism and Corruption (C4) director Cynthia Gabriel said that PAC chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamad has agreed to do it.

"However, he cannot answer for the other MPs who sit in the PAC.

"What we can do is push him to do it, to ensure that enquiries are open so we can sit in and get direct information on what's going on and enjoy the discussion," she said.

"As for the MACC, we do not know what they are doing.

"We hope they can publicise their findings after completing their probe, and before submitting the report to the attorney-general (AG).

"What we can do is to pressure the institutions to cooperate with us so that we can be meaningfully involved and be sensitised to the work of these institutions," she added.

The request follows a host of reports lodged against several politicians, although the outcome has not been forthcoming.

The MACC probes, which happened behind closed doors, have led to two deaths - former customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed and DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

Gabriel was speaking at the 'Government Audit Report: Accountability or Formality?' forum recently organised by the Penang Institute.

Accompanying Gabriel at the forum were PAC chief Nur Jazlan, MACC legal adviser Han Chee Rhull, DAP MPs Steven Sim (Bukit Mertajam) and Zairil Khir Johari (Bukit Bendera), who is also Penang Institute CEO.

The event was officiated by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Sim noted that the AG is an "anti-hero" and that the latter’s office can be deemed as the last frontier of trust and accountability in reducing leakages and wastages.

Sim said this was because the AG's office is not tasked with protecting anyone's behind from fire, but is meant to constantly threaten civil servants with instability by exposing abuses of power.

'Break the steel rice bowl'

He said although opposition leaders often raised issues of financial excesses, they do not gain traction until the Auditor-General’s Report 2012 made similar revelations.

He cited examples of money spent to bring in K-Pop singers (RM1.6 million) and National Youth Day celebrations (RM15 to 68 million) by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

"I raised these issues in Parliament in 2013. Zairil has been raising the issue of the RM4 billion ‘1BestariNet’ project.

"But nothing happened until the Auditor-General’s Report revealed the same problems," he pointed out.

While instilling fear in civil servants about being audited is good, but if there is no strict penalty the Auditor-General’s Report will just be a formality," he stressed.

Sim ( left ) said what needs to be done is to "break the steel rice bowl" of those involved in corrupt practises.

A steel rice bowl meant civil servants would enjoy a stable career, and are able to escape punishment despite committing mistakes.

"If the government had heeded its own advice on the Auditor-General’s Report, much leakages and wastage can be reduced, and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) can also be reduced this year," he quipped.

"The AG office is not only a toothless tiger, but the government tries to absolve itself despite the damning reports about its spending every year," he added.

"The government even tried to compare the Auditor-General’s Report with that of Singapore, saying ours is thicker than the latter's and that we have exceeded the expectations of accountability.

"But that is only believing in their own lies."