KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman yesterday warned that underperforming state agencies would be summoned before the Cabinet weekly meeting and asked to explain the cause.
“We want to know the reason why they are losing money. We want to avoid this (wasteful management) so that it does not happen in other agencies,” he said, adding that the State Government was monitoring such agencies closely.
Agencies which lived up to expectations would be called up as well to share their experience on how they earned their returns, said Musa, who is also State Finance Minister, at the presentation of excellent service certificates to 29 staff of the Chief Minister’s Office and the State Finance Ministry, here.
Musa expressed pride that Sabah had been acknowledged in the Auditor-General’s Report as one of the two best financially-managed states, but stressed that there was no room for complacency in maintaining accountability, transparency and efficiency.
He said public servants had the responsibility to help ensure every expenditure on development, both in the rural and urban areas, was “value for money”.
He cited uncompleted school building projects where fresh tenders had to be called because irresponsible contractors had been given the task.
He said development spending under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) as at November was RM16.095 billion from federal funds and RM3.38 billion from state funds.
Musa said the public service must also ensure a “best and quality” delivery system.
“We must bear in mind that our every action is being observed by the public at large. A negative perception will erode people’s confidence and expectations in the quality of service we provide and the government as a whole,” he said.
Musa also said that public servants in Sabah received the highest emolument among all the states, which was almost RM600 million every year.
“It is as large as the annual budget a certain state in the country,“ he pointed out.
He advised public servants not to borrow money from illegal money-lenders as this would only plunge them further into hardship through the payment of high interest rates. – Bernama