11 April 2015
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low has defended the Finance Ministry for not submitting an official response to the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) recommendations to the Government.
He said all ministries had taken heed of PAC’s dissatisfaction in regard to government processes, adding that the committee’s recommendations would be relayed to the Cabinet and appropriate measures taken.
“In respecting its role as an independent parliamentary body, I will report on PAC’s recommendations to the Cabinet and ensure that appropriate and correct actions are taken,” Low said in a statement yesterday.
He was responding to concerns raised by PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed that the Finance Ministry had yet to issue the committee with an official report detailing its follow-up to the committee’s recommendations.
“I will be enlarging the ministry’s scope to function as an extension of the PAC in Government and to enhance the body’s effectiveness,” said Low, who is the minister in charge of governance, integrity and human rights.
“With this arrangement, PAC’s recommendations will be monitored and acted upon where necessary by the Government,” Low said, adding that such a move would help shed any notion that PAC was a toothless tiger.
He said the findings of the Auditor-General report had also prompted the Government to look into improving disciplinary processes and regulations to more effectively deal with public office misconduct.
The PAC released a report card on the Government on Thursday, listing the 67 recommendations it had made based on findings of the 2013 A-G report.
Among the projects the committee was critical of were the klia2 construction and the failure of the incinerator projects in Cameron Highlands, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Langkawi and Pulau Pangkor.
Nur Jazlan said his team had recommended that the A-G conduct a comprehensive audit of klia2, which had yet to be sanctioned by the Government.
Original Source: www.thestar.com.my
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