theSun | FRIDAY OCTOBER 23 2009
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speak up!
t h e s u n s a y s
Act now on
A-G’s report
THE Auditor-General’s report never fails to
amaze Malaysians. Year in and year out, it
provides details of mismanagement, abuse
and misuse. Yet, the naming and shaming in
such reports has done little to change the
situation.
However one looks at it, at the end of the
day, it’s the people’s money. The amount of
wastage, abuse and misuse of public funds
by government departments and statutory
bodies is unbelievable, to say the least. The
thought of placing money in incompetent
if not crooked civil servants is frightening
indeed. How could they pay, in some cases,
five times the market price? We are not talk-
ing about parts for rockets but simple items
like laptops and personal computers. A check
in the newspapers the past week would have
at least given them a starting point and a ball-
park figure to start with.
Instead, without batting an eyelid, they
just paid over the top without having to fear
the repercussions that would follow. What
makes these people behave and conduct
themselves in such an unacceptable man-
ner? Is it blatant arrogance or the thought
that they would never be caught? Are such
practices acceptable to their bosses or they
are being protected by “Godfathers”?
History tells us that the odds are stacked
heavily in favour of the perpetrators of
fraud and extravagance. After the 2006
Auditor-General’s Report was published, 12
civil servants were prosecuted, a poor record
compared with voluminous report and the
vast number of infringements.
If the government is serious about look-
ing after the people’s money, it should spare
no effort in using the big stick on ALL those
implicated in the report. Any wavering will
only lead to claims of selective persecution.
TELLING IT AS IT IS
Managing Editor: Chong Cheng Hai
Consultant Editor: Zainon Ahmad
Executive Editor: Lee Boon Siew
Deputy Editor: Patrick Choo (Production),
Editor: R. Nadeswaran (Special Reporting & Investiga-
tions)
Time to reel in
the big fish
IT took awhile, but the Auditor-General
(A-G)’s report on failed business ventures
by Tourism Malaysia subsidiary Pem-
pena Sdn Bhd is not only a vindication of
theSun, which exposed its activities, but
an indictment of those responsible for
ensuring that public money is managed
by competent and trustworthy people.
While the A-G could pinpoint nine
instances where Pempena made bad
Australia judgment calls or did not conduct pru-
dent business practices, I can vouch that
set for this is just the tip of the iceberg.
decades- This paper had relentlessly pursued
long the mismanagement of Pempena which
has since caused enterprises such Shop-
mining ping Malaysia Secretariat (SSM), the
boom Malaysian Kitchen project and Execu-
pg 15 tive taxi services, to be losing ventures
to the tune of RM50 million.
Which is why no stone must be left
unturned in ensuring those who acted
so blasé with our money – whether
crookedly or negligently – are brought
to book.
To this effect, the police and the Ma-
laysian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) should delve into the allegations
of 20 sacked Pempena staff of the follow-
ing alleged irregularities concerning a
couple of officials:
» pocketing commissions when refi-
nancing luxury vehicles for high-end
tourist taxi service;
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Senior Manager, Production: Thomas Kang
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» of the then minister.)
Down2Earth
by Terence Fernandez
» approving contracts to RM2 companies
for tourism-based projects;
» overstating the cost of creating an e-
tourism website by RM5 million;
» by-passing the board of directors
when “investing” in a restaurant project
in Australia; and
» the wife of a former director was
benefiting from Pempena contracts.
However, it is not enough that we
make examples of two or three fall guys.
Contrary to what some of the powers-
that-be think, Malaysians are a discern-
ing lot who can see through the bull****.
The only ikan bilis we would accept
is the kind that accompanies our nasi le-
mak. So let’s go all the way to the top this
time and land some big fish. The buck
must stop somewhere and for Pempena
to sack a dispatch rider among the 20
laid-off workers as being responsible
for Pempena’s losses is laughable and a
pathetic attempt at creating the illusion
of accountability.
Having said that, it is surprising that
in his report, the A-G did not take note
of the excessive staffing of the then tour-
ism minister’s office where Datuk Seri
Azalina Othman Said crammed her of-
fice with 20 personnel paid by Pempena
when she was only allotted eight under
Public Services Department rules.
(These are not the same 20 who were
laid off but bag carriers and accessories
œ 11
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When the RM50 million bad invest-
ment story broke, then Pempena execu-
tive chairman Datin Paduka Chew Mei
Fun vowed that action will be taken but
was wishy-washy when asked if those
responsible will be held accountable.
“I don’t have to answer you now as
to the status of our investigations, but
I assure you we are taking action to
rectify whatever had happened before
(our time),” she had said.
However Chew did not keep to her
promise having quit Pempena a month
after announcing “action”.
Throughout theSun’s exposés we had
been accused of being personal with
the former minister and looking for
faults, but now that the A-G himself has
spoken, the full force of the law should
be allowed to take its course.
And since we are talking about the
MACC, one cannot fault Malaysians for
being cynical that anything will come
out of it. After all, it has been a year since
the MACC had embarked on investiga-
tions into the excessive staffing, focusing
on Pempena affiliates Malaysian Travel
Business Sdn Bhd and SD Corp Com-
munications Sdn Bhd, which were asked
to put the excess staff on their payroll.
And the outcome of the an internal
audit and another by Pricewaterhouse-
Coopers is anyone’s guess.
But it is understood that the noose is
tightening around the necks of several
officers but as the saying goes, the proof
of the pudding is in the eating. Here’s to
hoping that the conclusion of the Pem-
pena saga will not leave a bitter taste in
the mouth!
Terence says justice delayed is justice
denied and does not serve the public
interest. He is deputy editor special reports
& investigations and can be reached at
terence@thesundaily.com and followed
on twitter @ TerencetheSUN .