Need for Transparency and Full Accounting on Use of Public Funds
April 21, 2010
The SUN says
Menteri Besar Terengganu and his Delegation in China: Need for Transparency and Full Accounting
ON SUNDAY (April 17), the Terengganu Mentri Besar left for Guangzhou in China leading a 177-member trade delegation, huge by any standard. The visit is to coincide with a trade exposition in the Chinese city during the course of which the mentri besar will meet the governor to tell him and other Chinese officials as well as businessmen what Terengganu has to offer in terms of business opportunities.
Among the members of the delegation are some swiftlet industry traders who would be meeting bird’s nest distributors in Guangzhou. On the cards are discussions on the possibility of making Terengganu a global hub for high quality bird’s nest. Terengganu exports about 100kg of bird’s nest to Guangzhou a month. The total export of bird’s nests a year averages 1,200kg – at RM25,000 a kilo – and is worth RM30 million. And that is only one item of trade. There would probably be many other items.
Still the question that the state assembly, to which the Terengganu state government is responsible to, should ask would be whether the total Guangzhou-Terengganu annual trade justifies the size of the delegation that is now in China. The Mentri Besar needs to be asked to explain the details of the delegation and the costs involved when he returns. After all it is an official delegation and therefore the costs would be invariably always be underwritten by the state.
Being an oil rich state the government can easily pay the costs involved. Still the people would like to know ,just as the people of Negri Sembilan were told in the state assembly yesterday the total cost incurred by the Mentri Besar when travelling on official business in 2008 and 2009. He went on two trips only, one to Kuala Terengganu with his aide-de-camp (ADC) and the other to Kuching accompanied by his wife and his ADC. The cost for the two trips came to RM13,000, covering air tickets and hotel accommodation.
The State Assembly of Terengganu, therefore, has to be told– just as the Negri Sembilan legislature was told –about the purpose of the visit, the identities of the members of the delegation and an explanation of why they were included, the costs involved and the projected benefits from the trip. Public funds are involved and therefore a full accounting must be made. If it is not made, it is the duty of the state legislature to call for the accounting. After all, the legislature is made up of representatives of the rakyat who put them there.
It should not wait for the auditor-general to expose the abuses and to censure the government. It should act first as otherwise it may be accused of being complicit in the affair with the government. Far too many abuses have been allowed to go unchecked. Therefore, Parliament and the other legislatures must play their part diligently to vet the governments that are responsible to them.
www.sun2surf.com
Since his state gets oil royalty, it justifes if he travel like royalty.
Every pun intended.
kratos - April 21, 2010 at 1:38 pm
This man was favored by the Ruler because he was regarded “cleaner” than his predecessor, Idris Jusoh. But he has turned out to be a rebel of sorts, no respecter of party directives. Well, the lesson to learn from this is that people are not what they seem.
This Menteri Besar is arguably the biggest disappointment for UMNO in Terengganu. He is, therefore, not likely to be Menteri Besar after the 13th General Election.–Din Merican
dinobeano - April 21, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Maybe it was to show up Idris Jusoh, a former director of Matrade.
I seriously doubt this trade delegation does anything useful, other than to ogle (probably more than that) China Dolls.. They should come down to K.L. instead if they hanker for Canto-Speak – Guangzhou’s air is unbreatheable and the crowds!
This is idiotic really – there’s CAexpo (Nanning) and Canton Trade Exhibition, under the auspices of Matrade, just set up a couple of booths under the State Dev. Corp.! Then you get to see the guv’nor and other bigshots.
Menyalak-er - April 21, 2010 at 8:50 pm