KUALA LUMPUR: Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has pledged to take stern action, saying no one would be spared following investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and an independent auditor into HRD Corp.
He said that the ministry regarded the findings of both the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Auditor General's report seriously and had implemented measures to respond to them.
"We took unprecedented steps by reporting to the MACC within 24 hours and conducting an independent audit of this agency.
"If investigations indicate guilt on the part of any individual, I will not hesitate to take necessary action, regardless of their rank, be it the minister, deputy minister or senior management.
"This is our commitment and we have demonstrated this commitment through transparent actions and by responding to the public," he said.
Earlier today, Sim in a statement said the ministry plans to engage a third-party auditor for an independent audit of the HRD Corp.
He said the ministry is currently in the procurement process to appoint the professional third-party auditor, expected to be completed by July 31.
"The independent audit will review all processes, procedures, documentation, and compliance with laws and any guidelines concerning issues raised in reports by the Auditor General and the PAC.
"The duration of the independent audit and the timeframe for the report will be determined once the auditor is appointed," he said.
He also clarified that the funds from the RM51.7 million Gerak Insan Gemilang (GIG) training scheme were not allocated to a single company but distributed to 315 training providers.
"There was a misunderstanding that RM51.7 million was spent on a single company with 3,726 repeated participants.
"I would like to clarify this misunderstanding. The funds involved 315 training providers, with 84 per cent of the 3,726 participants, which is approximately 3,132 participants, only repeating their courses two to three times within a year," he said during his winding-up speech on the Auditor-General's Report in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the total number of participants in the programme was 85,000.
Sim said despite the training scheme being held during the Covid-19 pandemic and under the previous administration, therefore he could opt to point fingers, but he decided not to do so and chose to clarify the matter instead.
"During the pandemic period, I do not see it (joining the scheme repeatedly) as excessive for the citizens to participate in free training courses for re-skilling, upskilling, and proskilling for themselves," he said.
It was reported that some of the participants had attended the course up to 16 times.