The government’s cost-cutting measures would not help its finances as the real cause of the problem is corruption, said Gerakan Youth.

"Such cost-cutting measures don't really make a big difference to the government’s coffers" said Youth chief Andy Yong.

"As we know, the real cause is corruption and abuse of power that is bleeding the country's finances dry," he said in a statement today.

He said while the move to cut civil service costs is commendable, the government must prioritise curbing corruption among the civil servants.

Following Prime Minister Najib Razak’s budget revision this January in the face of falling oil prices and the value of the ringgit, the civil service has been ordered to cut costs .

Yong said towards this end, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should be reformed to give it more power to cull corruption within the government.

He cited how it was reported the commission had insufficient budget recently when it requested more integrity officers.

“The MACC should be given more independence, resources and manpower […] to look into the government tender/procurement system, the nebulous ties between the police and crime, the syndicates and the symbiosis between politicians, civil servants and businessmen,” he said

“This is where the government and government-linked companies (GLCs) have lost lots of money,” claimed Yong.

“Otherwise, we can never really go far regardless of any reform,” he added.