Still missing: Auditor General’s report

Harakahdaily

Oct 17: An equally surprised deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Ronald Kiandee said he was perplexed over the missing Auditor General’s report two weeks after prime minister Najib Razak tabled the 2012 Budget. Earlier, Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub pressed Ronald to provide an answer on the whereabout of the AG’s report, as its delay violated Article 20(1) of Meeting Regulation. “I also hope to receive guarantee from parliament on the matter as this is the first time this bizarre thing has happened, where the report is not submitted and the Budget has already been presented. I hope the ministers can give an explanation,” he said. Backing Salahuddin, parliamentary Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim asked whether there was a conspiracy to avoid discussing the report. “Is it because they don’t want MPs to debate about the report,” said Anwar, to which Ronald replied that a minister would give an explanation at the end of the Budget debate. Last week, Anwar questioned whether the delay in presenting the Auditor General's report was deliberate to prevent members of parliament from discussing its contents. A similar delay was also seen during last year's 2011 Budget, when Pakatan Rakyat MPs questioned if it was deliberately delayed to avoid the report's figures being cited during the budget debate. Last year, the Auditor General's report documented wastages and mismanagement by several government departments, and revealed that national debt rose to RM362.39 billion, or 53.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).