PUTRAJAYA: A total of 1,856 entities, including government-owned companies, have been told to get ready to be audited by the National Audit Department, based on three main elements from next year.
Auditor General Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi said the three elements involved financial statements, company establishment objectives and governance.
"If in the past they've been taking it easy, meaning they've enjoyed uninterrupted sleep, now all government companies have to get their documents in order, as well as the related data to be submitted for auditing," she quipped.
"This is the ecosystem that will be introduced. We will study financial statements, company establishment objectives and governance, such as the issuance of bonuses, appointment of board members and more," she added.
She was speaking at the 'Integrity Forum: Ethical Governance from the Auditor General's Perspective' here today.
The event was organised by Commerce Dot Com, the operator of the government's ePerolehan procurement system.
Wan Suraya said the department is assessing the best auditing mechanism for next year.
"What I wish to stress here is responsibility and all 1,856 entities must be ready, including special purpose vehicles (SPV) and such.
"The most important thing is the level of preparedness with all the necessary documents. If there are no issues, it will be just a regular audit," she said.
She said the department wants to avoid any disorderliness and if it happens, it will be given serious attention.
Meanwhile, Wan Suraya said the department will also empower the Follow-up Committee on the Auditor General's Report to ensure that all criticism and recommendations are given serious attention.
She said this was a priority following the amendment to the Audit Act 1957 (Act 62).
"Our priority is ensuring there are follow-ups after the Auditor General's Report is published. As such, based on the amendment approved in July, one of the new approaches is to stress on the audit follow-up.
"We will strengthen the Follow-up Committee on the Auditor General's Report. This is to ensure that any issues in the report (are addressed) hence tackling the perception that there were no follow-up actions when there actually were.
Wan Suraya said the department will also work closely with enforcement agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police to ensure proper follow-up action.
"The department also has the Auditor-General Dashboard which is displayed on its official website. This will also serve as an indicator that all issues are followed up on."