SEREMBAN: The state government is looking at taking stern action against those who have been found guilty or negligent as disclosed in the Auditor-General’s Report 2017 Series 1, issued yesterday.
Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun said most of the problems disclosed by the Auditor-General were not new and had been repeatedly done, whether by the same department or agency, or other parties.
“The audit is done every year, but more often than not, there were recurring problems, whether (reportedly committed) by the same department and agency, or by new ones.
“Strict action needs to be taken against any parties found responsible for making the mistakes, either due to negligence or failure to comply with the proper procedures,” he said at a press conference after the launch of the Jalur Gemilang Campaign in conjunction with the state level National Day celebration 2018 at Seremban Prima here today.
Meanwhile, Aminuddin praised 12 departments and government agencies in the state, of which five of them were rated excellent in financial management, while the other seven were marked as good in the report.
The state department and agencies classified as excellent were Seremban Municipal Council; state government Secretary office; Mufti Office; Port Dickson District and Land Office and Jempol District Council.
Meanwhile, the other departments and agencies rated as good were Tampin District Council; Department of Irrigation and Drainage; Negri Sembilan Islamic Religious Council (MAINS); Public Works Department and Jempol, Tampin and Kuala Pilah District and Land Office.
In addition, the report, among others, also revealed weaknesses in the construction of public facilities by the Kuala Pilah District and Land Office; Agricultural Extension Services (Negeri Sembilan Agriculture Department) and MAINS Holdings Sdn Bhd (MAINS) asset management.
Among the issues detected were the weaknesses in planning, procurement management, payment compliance and the quality of the project implementation of public facilities by the Kuala Pilah District and Land Office.
Negri Sembilan Department of Agriculture were reported to have less weakness in implementation and effectiveness of projects, among others, while MAINS did not achieve the targeted income derived from rental and information equipment rental, besides 35.8 percent of the 137 business premises under its jurisdiction are vacant without tenants.