AUDITOR-GENERAL’ S REPORT: Stop the slide

2009/11/03

SANDRA RAJOO, Ipoh

ONE of the greatest crimes in life is to sit back and do nothing, especially when we have the authority to act against a wrongdoing.

The government should heed the Auditor-General's Report, which highlighted the wastage and misuse of public funds committed by public servants. It is plain to see that our public service and delivery system are in need of a revamp.

Our society is plagued by escalating levels of corruption. Throughout the years, the auditor-general has highlighted the excesses and wastage caused by incompetence, dishonesty and inefficiency, but nobody in authority took much notice. Are the efforts of the auditor-general an exercise in futility? Crimes have been committed against society by the very people who claim to serve society, and should be punishable by law. Sadly, we have come to the stage where it is the "norm" to waste. These are depressing times for the honest taxpayer who finds his money "stolen" in the guise of public service.

We need honest and competent heads to lead with responsibility and accountability and ensure good governance. It is obvious that such people are in the minority nowadays. There was a time when promotion to leadership depended upon a person's substance, capability and principles. But the scenario has changed after 52 years of independence. It seems that power, status and money are what drive people today and what they fight hard to achieve. It is not uncommon to see a select few resorting to bullying and fear tactics in the workplace to ensure that their policies and practices are not called into question. Such leaders will cause the downfall of any organisation and should be weeded out immediately. What happened to good and ethical leadership, and the application of service before self? We need assurances from the authorities that we will not see a repeat of acts of incompetence, dishonesty and greed. We have allowed the slide to happen, and the climb back up will be difficult and tricky; delaying further will make matters worse.