Press Statement by M Kula Segaran, DAP National Vice Chairman and MP for Ipoh Barat in Ipoh on 7^th April, 2015

Time for tough actions against culprits of excesses, abuses, wastage and leakages

Excessive wastage, leakage and abuses revealed in the past annual Auditor General Reports have always angered the public. 

Yet every year such occurrences are repeated.  It is clear that wrongdoings highlighted in past Auditor General Reports have not been taken as lessons to learn.

It is therefore no surprise that in the first part of 2014 Auditor General Report tabled in Parliament yesterday again reported various wastage and leakage. 

What I find most shocking is that eight reproductive clinics under the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) have been “endangering patients” with their use of improperly serviced autoclave machines. 

How could the officers be so incompetent or irresponsible to continue using machines which certificates of competency that had expired up to even 100 months!

DAP Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian  Ming made a study and estimated that the government might have wasted around RM6.5 billion in the 64 cases studied under the 2012 audit report.

He noted that the RM6.5 billion that was wasted by the government was twice the amount of the funds the government could save by reducing the subsidy for petrol prices by 20 cents.

The question is what are the effective steps the government has taken or can take to curb such excesses which have been happening year in year out.

I have no doubt that the public general impression has always been that the federal government has not been tough with dealing with culprits.

In the 2013 report tabled last year, it was revealed that several health offices had mishandled funds meant for food to feed malnourished children.

It was reported that the funds intended to feed the underprivileged children were used instead to buy meals such as nasi lemak, kuih and teh tarik to be served at meetings by Jerantut, Gua Musang and Kota Kinabalu district health offices. According to the Report, a total of RM 87 851.38 was swindled by the health officers.

Such abuse ought to have been treated as a very serious matter and tough actions ought to have been taken against the errant officers. But it was revealed that an internal investigation committee was set up by the Health Ministry to investigate the matter and the officers involved were reprimanded.

The government must realize that the public have had enough of such excesses and it is time that tough actions must be taken. Time to show that the government has zero tolerance for such excesses.

I therefore call on the government to form a special committee tasked with the responsibilities of investigating all abuses and excesses cited in annual Auditor General Reports and recommending the necessary disciplinary actions including court prosecutions against the culprits.