The Malaysian Insight

PUTRAJAYA must provide more information on off-budget expenditure and not just brush it aside, Anwar Ibrahim said.

“It’s not true that off-budget expenditure does not involve government funds as it is the government that will ultimately be paying for this,” said the opposition leader during the debate on the RM332.1 billion Supply Bill 2021 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Using the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal as an example, Anwar said that till today, the government still owes RM32 billion for this.

“A total of RM12.8 billion has already been paid with RM10 billion borrowings while the remainder came from the consolidated account. Who will pay for this if not the government?” asked the Port Dickson MP.

Anwar said leakage, wastage and corruption have reached alarming levels where even the National Security Council is reported to have incurred RM510 million in losses through mismanagement.

“This was in the auditor-general’s report last week. And if this can happen in an agency that is chaired by the prime minister, what’s more about others?” he said.

Anwar said it is this kind of off-budget “special project” expenditure that is causing financial problems for the government.

“It’s no use debating RM100 allowances for teachers or free sanitary pads for women, when we are losing much more through such leakages,” he said.

“It’s time the government provided more answers about off-budget projects and it should start by explaining everything about the 5G project, which is being handled by Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB).

“What is the tender process? Who are the big companies involved? Why is everything shrouded in secrecy? Is the budget RM11 billion or RM20 billion?”

In June, the government announced that it has awarded a RM11 billion project to Ericsson to design, build and maintain the country’s 5G network.

Although DNB said the tender is RM700 million lower than the next closest bid, critics argued that the whole 5G spectrum and rollout should not have been given to DNB alone.

They said the 5G rollout contract should be given to more vendors as is the norm in other countries. – November 1, 2021.