(Seremban, Wednesday): I am baffled by the reaction of the Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan to my ACA report yesterday regarding the issue of the state government using special payment (Program Pembiayaan Dana Khas) from the federal government to upgrade the Menteri Besar’s official residence which was supposedly meant for the needy. Instead of giving a convincing answer to clear the name of the state government, he has created more confusions and questions over the whole issue.

Mohamad Hasan’s answer that it was nothing inappropriate and instead blamed the Auditor-General’s report for inaccurate reporting was not in any way convincing and should be probed more thoroughly. In response to the claim in the Auditor-General’s report 2005 that RM4.5 million was used to renovate the state guest house and turn it into the MB’s official residence and RM440,000 was used to buy new furniture for the Port Dickson and Seremban district administrative offices, he said that “Obviously, there are flaws in the (Auditor-General’s) report. They have erred. The money (for the renovation and purchase of furniture) was obtained from other funds meant for this kind of expenditure.” (NST, P21, September 13,2006).

 

There are 3 questions immediately came across my mind after reading his statement;

 

1)      If those expenditures mentioned are not allocated from the special payment as claimed in the Auditor-General’s report, then where is it from? From which government department’s funds was it allocated which was “meant for this kind of expenditure”?

2)      By saying that the Auditor-General’s finding on the utilization of the fund were inaccurate, is he seriously suggesting that the Auditor General has misled the Parliament and the nation as the Auditor-General’s report was presented to the highest legislative body in the country about 2 weeks ago?

3)      It was stated in the Auditor General’s report that Negeri Sembilan and Perlis state government has set up a state-level Special Payment Committee (Jawatankuasa Dana Khas) to propose and supervise all the allocations using this fund. But nobody in the state seems to know about the existence of this committee and the state government must immediately announce the list of the members of this committee and make public all the allocations that have been approved and implemented in the state to substantiate the claim by the MB that the special payment fund was never touched for purposes other than what it is meant for.

 

As the MB’s response has created more questions than answers, DAP is considering sending a memorandum to the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) urging the PAC to conduct a thorough investigation on the matter as PAC is empowered to call on anyone including Ministers and Menteri Besars to testify to get to the bottom of any matters relating to public accounts matter.

 

I would also like to urge the Auditor General Tan Sri Dato’ Setia Haji Ambrin bin Buang to make a public statement to rebut the issue of inaccuracy on the Auditor General’s report claimed by Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan as failing to do so will only undermine the credibility of the AG’s institution and risking that its findings and reports will not be taken seriously by all government departments.

 

(13/09/2006)