Malaysia Government seeks EXTRA RM2.3 BILLION for 2013 expenses

By Leven Woon. Published by Free Malaysia Today on 24 March 2014.

Putrajaya today tabled an RM2.392 billion Supplementary Supply Bill in the Dewan Rakyat today seeking extra allocations for 2013 expenditures. The Prime Minister’s Department and Public Service Department were among the agencies seeking the largest additional allocations of RM55.6 million and RM53.3 million respectively. Meanwhile the Treasury sought RM2.09 billion contribution to statutory funds.

According to the bill, the contribution was meant to finance development expenditures last year. Public Service Department on the other hand reasoned that the RM53.3 million was to fund the medical costs of retired civil servants and army veterans. It said the amount for that purpose has been credited to the contingency funds beforehand but additional costs have been incurred.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Department said it is requesting RM55.6 million more due to the expenditures of the new Istana Negara’s opening ceremony celebration (RM31.2 million) and Federal Territories Land and Mineral Office’s contractual workers’ salaries (RM10.74 billion).

It is also to cover the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) operation costs (RM8 million) and operation cost shortages (RM3.4 million). Other requests were from the Foreign Ministry (RM28.1 million), Agriculture and Ago-based Ministry (RM20 million), Natural Resources and Environment Ministry (RM8 million), Works Ministry (RM50 million), Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry (RM13.8 million), Communication and Multimedia Ministry (RM46.9 million) and Home Ministry (RM15.9 million). Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry sought an extra RM20 million while Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government was asking additional RM10 million.

Th government had tabled a RM251.6 billion budget in 2013 and had initially asked for an extra RM15 billion in the first Supplementary Supply Bill.

Link: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/govt-seeks-extra-rm2-3b-for-2013-expenses/

In the last five years, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) only convicted 1,395 inividuals and collected RM48 million in fines despite receiving a RM983 million government allocation, said Kampar MP Ko Chung Sen today.

“This means for every case convicted, the government spent an average of RM704,744,” Ko told reporters in Parliament’s lobby today. He said Minister in the Prime Minister Department Paul Low should take responsibility and resign over MACC poor conviction rate despite receiving a high government allocation.

He added that MACC’s budget had increased by 24.4% in 2013 compared with 2011 but the number of cases convicted had dropped by 31.7%. Ko said in 2013, MACC received a RM251 million allocation and convicted 265 individuals.

In 2011, MACC’s allocation was RM202 million and number of individuals convicted 388. “The MACC is not only catching the big sharks, the little fishes are also getting away,” said the DAP lawmaker.

Ko said it was worrying that 90% of corporate executives agreed that bribery and corruption were a major problem for business in Malaysia as shown in a survey done by international auditing firm KPMG in January.

Read more here:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/maccs-huge-allocation-not-justified/

Despite the government paying RM270 million, a mentoring programme implemented since 2011 to improve English language teachers’ skills has had minimum impact on the quality of English among students and teachers alike.

The Dewan Rakyat was told today that the Program Penutur Jati Bahasa Inggeris (PPJBI), which hires foreign teachers to mentor local English language primary school teachers from rural areas, was unable to prevent last year’s UPSR results for the English subject plunging lower than ever.

However, the programme, which ran from 2011 to 2013, has since been extended from Oct 1, 2013 to Sept 30, 2015, at an additional cost of RM184.4 million, according to Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan.

Read more here: 
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/rm270-million-spent-on-english-yet-no-results/

Kos dan perbelanjaan yang diperuntukkan untuk kempen dan iklan cukai perkhidmatan dan perkhidmatan (GST) yang akan dilaksanakan pada 1 April 2015 mencecah RM365 juta.

Perkara itu dinyatakan oleh Menteri Kewangan Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam jawapan bertulisnya bagi menjawab pertanyaan Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) berhubung kos kempen dan iklan cukai itu.

Dalam jawapan bertulisnya, Najib yang juga perdana menteri berkata perbelanjaan yang telah dan akan dilakukan kerajaan berhubung kempen itu merangkumi:

i) RM98 juta untuk sistem perkomputeran GST yang siap dibangunkan oleh Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia bagi 2013/2014.

ii) RM150 juta penyediaan perisian perakaunan bersubsidi kepada Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) sedang diuruskan oleh kastam - meliputi RM125 juta pada 2014 dan RM25 bagi tahun berikutnya.

iii) RM100 juta bagi geran latihan kepada peniaga yang diuruskan oleh Kementerian Kewangan yang meliputi RM50 juta pada 2013 dan RM50 juta untuk tahun ini.

iv) RM17 juta bagi program publisiti melalui media arus perdana dan media sosial - akhbar, televisyen, radio dan papan tanda, laman web, blog, Twitter dan Facebook - yang diuruskan oleh Kementerian Kewangan pada 2012-2014.

Sebelum ini, Khalid yang juga ahli jawatankuasa Pusat PAS membangkitkan perkara sama dalam sidang medianya pada Februari lalu.

Sementara itu, dalam sidang medianya di lobi parlimen hari ini, Khalid mengkritik kos kempen cukai itu yang ditanggung dan menurutnya akhirnya membebankan rakyat.

"Belum apa-apa lagi, kerajaan nak kena tanggung RM365 juta untuk nak laksanakan GST. Ini duit rakyat, dan akhirnya digunakan untuk membebankan rakyat."

Selanjutnya: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/258026