Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa was reported in the press yesterday to have announced the introduction of cost-cutting measures for the public sector, one of which prohibits excessive spending during official ceremonies. These measures follow public concern over inflation caused by the Government’s measures to hike up petrol prices, electricity tariffs, sugar and other commodities.
Unfortunately, the head of the civil service must have forgotten to send his memo to his bosses in the Cabinet, especially in light of a whistle-blower (http://peniupwisel2020.blogspot.com) blog’s revelation yesterday that the Deputy Prime Minister has by “special aircraft” to Dubai, where he is staying at the five-star Shangri-La Hotel for five days from 8 to 12 April 2014.
According to the leaked itinerary, Muhyiddin’s official duties do not take up more than a few hours, yet he is set to stay there for five days. In fact, most of his time in Dubai is filled with games at the golf course, informal dinners and meetings, and plenty of “private programmes.”
17-member delegation all political appointees?
The same whistle-blower blog has now also revealed the list of the entire delegation accompanying the Deputy Prime Minister (see attachment).
The first point one notices is the sheer size of the delegation, which totals 17 people comprising the Deputy Prime Minister and his wife, one private secretary, one press secretary, two political secretaries, four special officers, one aide-de-camp and six bodyguards.
Not only is it shocking that 17 people are sent to Dubai for five days and put up at a five-star hotel at public expense for what is essentially only half a day’s worth of official work, but from the list it also appears that the entire delegation is made up exclusively of staffers and aides from Muhyiddin’s own office, with no ministry officials accompanying.
Government must come clean
The Government must immediately clarify how much the entire trip, including the use of “special aircrafts,” hotel stays and all other incidentals, has cost the taxpayers. At the same time, the public must be told how such a programme will bring benefit to Malaysians, especially in terms of education or commerce.
Further to that, the Government must also explain whether it is prudent to send the Deputy Prime Minister, along with his wife and 15 personal aides and staffers, on what is essentially a golf holiday with some work squeezed in. Is this in line with Tan Sri Ali Hamsa’s cost-cutting measures to save public money?
Finally, we repeat our call for the Auditor-General to investigate this trip, along with other recent trips made by the Deputy Prime Minister, to ensure that public funds are not misused for personal pleasure.