October 21, 2009
Pakatan Rakyat Government shows the way to cut cost and be prudent in public management
by Regina William, The Edge
Penang's Lim Guan Eng
The Penang state government has received praise in the auditor general’s 2008 report for its cost-cutting measures and prudent ways, which have resulted in the state’s consolidated funds increasing 21.1% (RM178.45 million) from RM847.45 million in 2007 to RM1.02 billion in 2008.
The report states the consolidated funds stood at RM703.66 million in 2004, RM794.68 million in 2005 and RM770.49 million in 2006.
The report says the state’s expenditure was reduced by RM35.41 million or by 11.1% due to its cost-cutting measures and priority being given to spending on the people or for people-centric programmes.
The report lists the reasons for the reduction in expenses, which included only filling up critical vacancies, reduction in hotel expenses for seminars, courses and workshops, and also using cheaper air travel and government vehicles as modes of transportation for functions.
Other reductions in expenses include the freeze on new asset purchases and other uncommitted expenditure.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, an accountant by training said it was the first time that the state’s consolidated funds reached above the RM1 billion mark.
He said the state government was vindicated with the auditor-general’s overall analysis, which described the state’s financial status at the end of 2008 as good.
“This clearly shows that our efforts to cut costs and implement thrifty measures have been effective and this state government is moving in the right direction. The state’s finances have improved for the better and not worse with this state government.
“We have managed to save hundreds of millions of ringgit, but we will still look into the report which questions the RM31,000 discrepancy in tyre purchases. Every sen counts and the state financial officer Farizan Darus will be giving a detailed account on what transpired,” Lim said at a press conference after launching the Penang Economic Monthly magazine, published by Penang’s Socio Economic Research Institute. Also present were Farizan and Deputy Chief Minister 2 Professor P. Ramasamy
Lim said with the savings achieved, the state government would also expand its deficit budget for 2010, to carry out more people-centric projects including giving out aid to the elderly and other needy Penangites and also to stimulate the economy.
The auditor general’s report also named two state-owned agencies–the Penang Development Corporation and the State Financial Department–as those among 16 agencies and departments in the country with a 4-star listing for achieving above 90% in their financial management
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
khir toyo , dr mahathir , the chief secretary to the government and the ministers , and all secretary generals especially those from treasury and the ministry of transport and port klang authority should read this commendation from the auditor general . instead of talking about malay dominance , malay leadership or malay inclusiveness WHY CAN’T THEY JUST CONCENTRATE ON DOING THEIR JOBS?
Two things will happen. The MSM will place this report inthe 4th or 5th page with the smallest space allocation.Then the AG is likely to be transferred.
Penang state government has set the benchmark for the rest of the country. We hope that it will not stop there but to continue to pursue to the level of developed world standard. LGE government must not show mercy for those who deliberately cheat the state government of millions of ringgits as exposed by the Auditor General. Bring them to book and let them face the law as the case should be. Too many crooks have got away their crimes and it’s time to put fear into them. The rakyat will definitely be 100% behind you.
Tan Sri Amrin Buang is an outstanding AG. His role model is the late Tan Sri Ahmad Noordin who was a respected public servant and arguably the best AG we have had in so many years.
I knew Tan Sri Ahmad very well.Tan Sri Ahmad was AG during the Mahathir era. He had the guts to speak facts to power.
Amrin Buang is of the same mould and does not care what happens to him. He himself has had a distinguished career in the civil service and leads a very simple life. I know him to be extremely kind, soft spoken, and unassuming.–Din Merican
” i know him to be extremely kind , soft spoken and unassuming “. – din merican.
good quality individuals have these characteristics . TAN SRI HASHIM AMAN was the same . But definately mahathirs and his umno crooks don’t.
a good point to note is that even malays perform better while working under non malays . a case in point is penang’s chief financial officer farizan buang working with lim guan eng .
so what is all this rubbish like malay dominance , malay leadership , malay all inclusivenes etc for . JUST CONCENTRATE ON BEING MALAYSIA AND THE MALAYSIAN . EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FALL IN PLACE .
the slimeball prime minister of 22 years should read this story.
Soft-spoken Amrin, unfortunately, is not allowed to walk as softly and carry a big stick. He can only report, and with the kinds of consciences and morality levels today, those thick skinned wasters of public monies and keepers of the public trust will just laugh at this Don Quixote’s annual flailings at their giant erections, I mean windmills.
Its a pity we don’t have the likes of Sheriff Buford Pusser depicted in Walking Tall hanging around Bolehland. Instead we have all kinds of two-legged pussies where the females, like those in Balkis, are more rapacious than the males.
A strong lathi Taliban-style on the backs of these crooks is I think the only antidote left to treat this disease as most do not seem to have the fear of god in them anymore.
I was reading something the then Chief Secretary to the Government, Ahmad Sarji, said in 1993 about the values which were prerequisites for good quality public service.
Grandly mentioned as “the 12 pillars”, these were: the value of time, the success of perseverance, the pleasure of working, the dignity of simplicity, the worth of character, the power of kindness, the influence of examples, the obligations of duty, the wisdom of economy, the virtue of patience, the improvement of talent and the joy of originating.
Eerily, today’s KSN, Mohd Sidek, also has his magnificent 12 – the prosecution of 12 civil servants for mismanagement and misuse of funds. Obviously Mr Ahmad Sarji’s pillars of wisdom enunciated 16 long years ago have not, unlike the Pillars of Hercules, stood the test of time. Obviously many civil servants today prefer rallying to the kepimpinan melalui teladan fiddlings and fraud of their shifty political masters.
Visits by the auditors in government depts in days gone by used to be met with great fear and trepidation. Today, it looks like its a competition to see who can wrack up the biggest fraud and get away with it.
lim guan eng’s next target should be to clean up the ” pearl of the orient” and make it the cleanest island in the world. it should be so squeaky clean that even singaporeans will envy this island called penang.
do it lim guan eng.
Mr Bojangles: “… met with great fear and trepidation.”
Yes sir, nowadays the aca/macc, is similarly greeted with lots of kompang, kuih-muih and kopi kau-kau, for they tend to investigate things in a micro not macro view. Then there is the oft used ‘entrapment’ ruse which they use like the mafia.
If the macc were to truly investigate major issues like ITM’s (also in Penang) RM42,000+/laptop and other outright ripoffs, they will need another 2 military like divisions.
Persecution is in the mind of the beholder, selective at best.
” ….. they will need another 2 military like divisions “. – menyalaker
even a 100 divisions wont help if they dont have a general like amrin buang – an individual from the CIVIL SERVICE who is a good example of someone with high values – values that you don’t even see shared by his very own community .
Ooops! Very soon the AG will be the next to be transformed to be no longer independent and transparent. Whatever that they report will be submit to censorship. Just watch and see.
This is the best piece of news about PR since March 2008. After a shaky (and sometimes silly) start, at least one state in the coalition is serious about getting its act together. Way to go…
Why the federal bn appointed officers, Bentong council wasted our money like in a lawless state ? as indicated in the Auditor General’s Reports ?