At Every Level, Government Shows Blatant Disregard in Spending of Public Funds, Anwar Tells Forum

The Barisan Nasional government is worse than pirates of old, finding new ways to take the people's hard-earned money, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

"The government is full of leakages, wastage and embezzlement, otherwise how can an officer go to Switzerland just for a few days and rack up a RM300,000 expense bill? It seems that from top to bottom, everyone is just waiting for a chance to spend public funds."

"Those at the top spend on submarines, those in the middle spend on cows and those at the bottom spend on watches. But at all levels of the government, they do not hesitate to waste public funds the moment they spot an opportunity," Anwar said, drawing huge applause from an appreciative audience.

Auditor-General’s Report Points to Failure of Putrajaya’s Anti-Graft Agencies, Says Economist

A renowned economist said that government agencies have failed in their task to tackle graft and financial leakages as shown by the latest Auditor General's Report.

Tan Sri Kamal Salih named the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Public Accounts Committee as those without "teeth" in fighting graft and wastage of public funds, which he said have now become a "culture".

“It’s a culture, people are in their comfort zone and they get away with a lot of things," said Kamal at a forum held at the launching of the book Malaysia@50 by prominent economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram and academic Wee Chong Hui.

Kamal said PAC's findings are not followed-up or debated, saying the committee only meets government officers and reviews issues raised by the Auditor-General. He said they then would go back to the government who would then tell them that "action has been taken".

The Auditor General's Report 2012 was released on October 1 and revealed multiple cases of corruption, overspending and wastage by civil servants, government-linked contractors and ministries.