A. KATHIRASEN
I support the Auditor-General’s report but...

2009/11/01

...what has happened now is that it gives a very bad impression and it is nauseating. If possible, the government should filter the report before making it a public document.” — Datuk Wira Ahmad Hamzah, Jasin MP

I LIKE nursery rhymes. They have a jaunty rhythm that livens up the atmosphere.

I am reminded of a rhyme by events following the collapse of a suspension bridge over the Kampar River in Kuala Dipang, Kampar, and the release of the Auditor-General's Report on how well, or badly, government bodies manage public funds.

I believe at least older Malaysians will remember it:

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush,
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
So early in the morning.

Yes, we are going round the mulberry bush; round and round.

The bridge collapsed on Oct 26, plunging 22 pupils into the river below. Three girls, who were among pupils participating in a 1Malaysia camp, drowned. It is a tragedy that could have been averted.

The government immediately announced the setting up of a special committee to look into the whys and wherefores of the collapse of the bridge.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it was willing to investigate if there had been any hanky-panky, and non-governmental organisations and societal stalwarts called for a thorough investigation.

Why are the establishment of committees, the giving of advice and warnings, and the promises of greater care and accountability after tragedies so predictable?

On the same day, the Auditor-General's Report for 2008 was tabled in Parliament. While he had some good things to say about improvements in some ministries, he had more to say about the weaknesses in financial management, irregularities in the procurement process and delays in implementation.

After reading about some of these "weaknesses", I must say some of our civil servants do have a sense of humour. How else do you account for someone allowing the purchase of a laptop, and that too an outdated model, for RM42,320, and hoping to get away with it?

Every year, billions of ringgit go into the pockets of contractors and others in overpayments for projects. It was no different in 2008.

The government promised action against the non-performers and those found guilty of misusing public funds. Politicians, especially from the opposition, have made the appropriate noises.

The MACC, that bastion of incorruptibility, said it was studying the report and would act if it found any instance of corruption. Several NGOs voiced outrage, as they do every year after the release of the Auditor-General's Report.

Not to be left out, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee promised a probe into the report, with chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid saying a meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday. Azmi rightly noted that the report showed up the same types of problems every year.

Listen to what the then chairman of the PAC, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, said on Sept 29, 2007: "Year in and year out, we hear of excesses. How could this have happened when there are internal audit departments?"

Shahrir went on to say the time had come for errant departments and agencies to face the music. I expect Azmi to say the same thing after the present PAC meets on the report.

If only the PAC would pursue this matter till every minister and head of department realises he or she will be in trouble if ministries or departments under them default. If only parliamentarians would insist that time be set aside to debate the PAC's findings on the Auditor-General's Report and the culprits punished. But that's wishful thinking, I suppose.

Ah, now that I have contributed my bit to the annual charade, I can go back to singing that old nursery rhyme again, but, perhaps, one of the modern versions which goes like this:

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
On a cold and frosty morning.

kathirasen@nst.com.my