AG Report: More S’wak ministries, agencies excel in managing finances

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KUCHING: The Sarawak government recorded a marked improvement in managing finances in 2018 compared to the year before, according to the Auditor-General’s (AG) Report.

The audit report released yesterday covered the financial management performance of 32 ministries, government departments and agencies.

The Ministry of International Trade and E-Commerce topped the list of state ministries, departments and government agencies audited last year.

It is among 24 listed in the report as having ‘excellent’ performance, with seven others rated as ‘good’.

In the Auditor-General’s Report 2017, only 11 organisations were rated ‘excellent’, 14 ‘good’ and seven ‘satisfactory’.

This year, however, the Ministry of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development was ranked last in the financial management category, with a mark of 62.02 per cent.

The AG Report 2018 on financial management (accountability index) finding is based on a new approach which is on risk and International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions used by countries under the membership of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions.

The report stated those marked as ‘excellent’ had complied with the stringent rules or regulations, but added that several of these ‘excellent’ organisations needed to improve compliance and control on their finance flow to minimise risk.

Among the recommendations are that officers and internal auditors discuss issues raised by the Auditor-General thoroughly, and to make sure corrective measures are met to prevent repeated or past mistakes, as well as to pay close attention to their system, procedure, and internal control to prevent the risk of fraud and wrongdoings.

The AG Report also indicated that surprise audits will be made towards improving financial management and control.