THE 2021 Auditor-General’s Report Series 2 is an important document detailing government spending during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an important tool to hold the previous government accountable while ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.

However, the opposition’s reluctance to discuss the report in Parliament may have more to do with political manoeuvring than genuine concern about the report’s findings.

Yet, the Auditor-General’s Report is still a very important document which findings must be taken seriously and debated at the Dewan Rakyat \for the validity of the document.

The opposition bloc has alleged that debating the Auditor-General’s Report is merely a political ploy by the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN)-led alliance to undermine the credibility of Perikatan Nasional (PN).

What is conceivable, however, is that the opposition’s reluctance to discuss the report in parliament is due to their fear that the findings of the report - especially that pertaining to vaccine procurement - can be used to score political points against them in the upcoming polls across six states.

Furthermore, the opposition is concerned about being seen as too critical in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time when they were helming the government.

After all, they could be perceived as being opportunistic or insensitive to the suffering of Malaysians as evident by a consistent series of lockdowns vis-à-vis movement control orders while parliamentary sessions were temporarily halted/suspended for the longest of time.

The opposition’s reluctance to discuss the Auditor-General’s Report have apparently sparked various suspicions among the public, ranging from political machinations to concerns over the transparency of government spending during the pandemic.

Whatever the reason, it is important that the findings of the Auditor-General’s Report which highlights potential wastages and leaks in government expenditure are taken seriously to ensure that every taxpayer’s ringgit and sen are spent wisely and transparently during the pandemic period.

Finally, there is no reason for anyone in this country to withhold those details for the public view as taxpayers.

In this regard, I also request Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the outflows that have been found in the Auditor-General’s Report to restore the people’s trust on the current government and administration.

Papparaidu Veraman is the founder & advisor of Malaysian Indian Voice (MIV) and assistant organisational secretary to DAP Selangor. 

https://focusmalaysia.my/opposition-walkout-over-2021-auditor-generals-report-is-all-about-having-something-to-hide/