PETALING JAYA: The umbrella body for civil service unions will be given a briefing by the government following a move to empower the Auditor-General to have better scrutiny of public fund spending.

The briefing, which would be held next month, would focus on the proposed amendments to the Audit Act, which seek to improve governance and accountability in the public sector.

“These amendments, which had been postponed for some time, are much needed to address all the leakages uncovered by the Auditor-General,” said Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) secretary-general Abdul Rahman Mohd Nordin.

“Anything that benefits the people is welcomed, especially in empowering the Auditor-General. How can the Auditor-General do the job diligently if the person has no power to do so?” he said when contacted.

On Thursday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said tabled the amendments in the Dewan Rakyat.

Among others, it seeks to empower the Auditor-General to carry out follow-up audits to review actions taken by state and federal authorities.

Another amendment will enable the Auditor-General to provide recommendations for addressing irregularities found in accounts involving public funds.

Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre) chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah said that laws should not just exist on paper with limited enforcement but must instead be practised to the fullest extent.

In voicing support for amendments to the Audit Act, he also proposed additional measures for the government.

For instance, he suggested that the capacity and funding for the National Audit Department be increased “so that they will be able to carry out their functions as needed.”

He said that the C4 Centre had long campaigned for the expansion of the role and power of the Auditor-General.

This is so that the department’s role is not just limited to conducting audits, he added.

He suggested that the office of the Auditor-General be allowed to freeze operations and government contracts deemed to be high-risk.

Transparency International Malaysia president Dr Muhammad Mohan said the amendments would not only make the audit exercise more meaningful but also hold public officials accountable for their failures.

Each year, he said Malaysians were exasperated to discover all the wastage and leakages that took place from one ministry to another, as detailed out in the annual Auditor-General’s Report.

“The pattern is similar. Why are public officials not learning anything from these reports?” he asked.

He also claimed that these “offenders” were rarely dismissed for being negligent in their duties, which was the root cause of the repeated failures and leakages.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/29/cuepacs-to-be-given-briefing-on-audit-act