KUALA LUMPUR: There should be greater transparency and a culture of integrity to protect whistleblowers when reporting mismanagement in poverty eradication programmes.
Malaysian Corruption Watch (MCW) president Jais Abdul Karim said the government should provide clear public reports and implement open data initiatives that allow citizens to track where the money was going.
"Independent audits should be conducted regularly to identify leakages and inefficiencies. Empowering third-party auditors or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to monitor the implementation of poverty eradication programmes can ensure greater accountability and prevent mismanagement.
"The fact that some agencies are using up to 80 per cent of their funds for management costs is alarming. Administrative expenses should be capped, and a greater proportion of funds must be channelled directly to beneficiaries," he said today.
Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the RM22 billion spent annually on eradicating poverty could solve the problem if the funds were properly managed.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, noted that poverty persists because of leakages that prevented the funds from reaching their intended beneficiaries.
Jais added that there should be a safe space for officials or individuals to report suspicious activities.
"There should be a culture of integrity by protecting whistleblowers who expose corruption or mismanagement within poverty eradication programs. The government should create a safe space for officials or individuals to report suspicious activities," he said.
He added that direct engagement with local communities could help ensure that aid reached the people who needed it most.
Another initiative that could help curb leakages, he said, was digital cash transfers or biometric identification, which would ensure that funds were distributed directly to beneficiaries without intermediaries.