While our FDI drop 81% in 2009 and our national debt stood at RM378 billion, the recent move by Malaysia’s First Lady, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to invite Hollywood actor, Robert De Niro to visit Malaysia in order to remove Malaysia’s negative image in international arena coupled with the Tourism Ministry’s decision to engage Dato Michele Yeoh’s boy friend, Jean Todt as Tourism ambassador with an annual RM 1 million budget. Of course not forgetting BN Malacca’s government decision to confer “Datukship” to Bollywood Star Sharuk Khan shows that BN administration had lost their sense of direction after more than 53 years in power.
How many tourists had Jean Todt brought in to our country after being appointed? How many Bollywood film or box office had Sharuk Khan made in Malaysia after we call him Datuk Sharuk? How much FDI will Robert De Niro brings in after returning to New York? As tax payers, Don’t u entitle to know the answer?
KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — The DAP is demanding an explanation from the government on how it had spent RM592 billion in Petronas contributions, as it continued to escalate criticisms over Putrajaya’s “careless” spending and the latest subsidy cuts.DAP assistant national treasurer, Nga Kor Ming, said the government needed to reveal how it manages the country’s wealth before attempting to justify its move to scrap subsidies. He revealed in Ipoh last night that since Petronas’ formation in 1974, the oil and gas giant had been the single largest contributor to federal coffers, with payments to the government totalling RM592 billion. “In 2008, Petronas paid the government RM61.6 billion and last year, it contributed as much as RM74 billion. “This year, even with the decline of RM16.4 billion, Petronas still paid RM58.3 billion, including RM30 billion in dividends,” he said in his statement. Nga, who is also the Taiping MP, said voters deserved the right to know how Petronas’ contributions had been spent in order to prove there was accountability and transparency in the government’s financial management. “To avoid corruption and ensure that the country’s total assets are not focussed on merely a few cronies, it is the government’s responsibility to inform the public how Malaysia’s wealth and treasures are managed,” he said. He questioned the “excuse” for scrapping subsidies, pointing out that the people were aware of the government’s extravagance and wasteful habits through information exposed in the Auditor-General’s annual report. “The government says the subsidy system needs to be restructured if we want to avoid becoming a bankrupt nation by 2019. “But the people know better that this excuse is not good enough. The AG’s report has revealed before that Malaysia faces RM28 billion in annual losses resulting from leakages and mismanagement in the funds of government agencies and departments under the Barisan Nasional leadership,” he said. Nga also cited an issue he had raised during the latest Parliament session on the rise in the Prime Minister’s Department’s operational expenditure, which had reached RM3.8 billion last year. “The department’s expenditure had risen as much as RM2.5 billion in just eight years since 2003. That is a 150 per cent rise from RM1.5 billion in 2003,” he said. In a written reply to Nga’s question in Parliament recently, Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had explained that the escalated operational costs were due to the creation of new agencies in the department including Pemandu (Implementation and Coordination Unit), and the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC), and an increase of manpower in some existing agencies. Nga questioned the government’s integrity in forming new posts and agencies under the department, which he claimed were for the sake of enriching the BN’s political cronies. As an example, he pointed out that the government had employed BN representatives as coordinating officers in Pakatan Rakyat-won constituencies. “They are each getting paid RM5,000 and RM4,000 is paid to the candidates who lost during the elections. This makes no sense because it is the people who have to bear these costs. “National coffers have been turned into party coffers,” he said.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — The Najib administration revealed today that it had allocated a whopping RM3.956 billion this year to finance operations in the Prime Minister’s Department.In a written reply to DAP MP Nga Kor Ming, Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the escalated operational costs were due to the “creation of new agencies” within the department as well as the addition of posts in a few existing agencies.
The number of civil servants in the PM’s Department has also increased from 21,045 in 2003 to 43,544 in 2010.
“Spending RM4 billion for one government department costs five times more than financing the Perak state government. The country has been facing a deficit for the past 15 years, yet we have the highest number of civil servants in the world, as well as Cabinet members,” said Nga.
The Taiping MP claimed that the purpose of some government agencies within the PM’s Department was highly dubious and demanded further clarification.
“One of the new agencies created is a managing office for former PM Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? Since when do former PMs need an office? So when Najib steps down, we have to create an office for him? What about Tun Dr Mahathir? Where is his office? Should we have another office for him?” said Nga.
According to the reply to Nga, the six new agencies include Pemandu (Implementation and Coordination Unit), and the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC).
Six existing agencies which include the National Security Council (MKN) and Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) experienced an increase in manpower.
“I don’t understand why we need so many civil servants. We are a small country with a huge civil service. Japan has 120 million citizens, but only 380,000 civil servants.
“The government of the day has to relook into the ratio of civil servants in a particular government department to avoid wastage,” added Nga.
