KUALA LUMPUR (June 6): About 95% of issues raised in the Auditor General’s (AG) Report 2011 to 2021 Series 2 regarding federal government ministries, departments, agencies and companies have been resolved as of end-May, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. 

She said that 4,912 out of the total 5,164 issues raised in the AG’s Reports since 2011 have been resolved, while 252 issues or the remaining 5% are still being acted upon by federal ministries, departments, agencies and companies. 

During the motion to debate the AG’s Report 2021 Series 2 in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (June 6), Azalina said the Auditor General's Report Action Committee, which was established in 2013, has held 26 meetings as of May 2023.

“The meeting has discussed a total of 230 studies and decided on action against 559 red flag issues, which are either improvement actions at the audit level only or punitive action by the relevant authorities,” she said. 

The Pengerang Member of Parliament added that data updated by the Public Service Department as of May 10 showed that 310 civil servants have been subject to disciplinary action based on AG’s report 2015 to 2021 Series 1.

“Among the actions imposed are warnings, surcharges, fines, postponement of salary movements, salary reductions and dismissals,” Azalina said. 

The government had moved to debate the AG’s Report 2021 Series 2 in the hopes that the issues of leakage, wastage and extravagance can be reduced with proper supervision from the government leadership in managing public money.

Usually, the issues arising on the use of public funds were only scrutinised by Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that is appointed at the beginning of each Parliament. 

“Moving forward, as a reform effort in improving efficiency, effectiveness and auditing quality, the Madani government, in line with existing legislation, proposed for the AG’s Report to be debated in detail in the Dewan Rakyat so that deep attention and observation by all parties can be given to support the requirements of the law to create better public sector governance in addition to scrutinisation only under the PAC,” Azalina said.  

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