The Selangor government’s failure to table a white paper on Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG) at the ongoing state assembly shows the state’s disregard for a select committee’s recommendation, says Selangor BN.

This is because the select committee on state agencies, statutory bodies and subsidiaries urged the state to do so before DEIG starts operations, at this assembly sitting, Sungai Panjang assemblyperson Budiman Zohdi said.

“The state government was told to table a white paper and yet there is none tabled this sitting, and we only got a short statement from the state executive councillor saying that the MB’s explanation at the last sitting suffices,” he said at the state assembly building lobby in Shah Alam.

He said concerns over the state investment firm were not only raised by BN representatives, but also those from DAP, PAS and PKR.

Budiman (photo) , who is also Selangor BN secretary, also urged Azmin to not 'work alone' and to work in a team in order to raise transparency.

DEIG was formed to manage the investments of Menteri Besar Incorporated subsidiaries and was supposed to come into operations next May. This has been postponed to next year.

The firm is a fully-owned MBI entity with a capital of RM10 million.

It will be managed by a board of directors consisting of the Selangor MB, state secretary, state financial officer, MBI chief executive officer, and MBI chief operating officer.

Has DEIG spent money before it started operating?

Separately, Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (Ind-Pelabuhan Klang) said the select committee must check if DEIG has made any expenditure before starting operations.

"This is an example of how we can be transparent in budgeting, as said by our MB.

"We need to be responsible and ensure state assets are managed properly," he said while debating the state budget 2016.

The former Selangor MB also called on the state to reveal how it has spent its reserves, and use some on development projects like building schools and mosques.

"We need to table the proposal at the state assembly each time we want to use it, so we know what happens to the reserves.

"Otherwise, with how things are moving, we would not know what our reserves are and what we used it for in the next decade," he said.

He also called on the state to aim to grow and not just manage the reserves.