LETTERS: Malaysians will be closely watching developments in two cases that have caused a huge dent in government coffers, which are being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
One is the alleged fertiliser cartel in the National Farmers Organisation (Nafas), and the other is Khazanah Nasional's loss-making investment in FashionValet Sdn Bhd.
It has been reported that the alleged fertiliser cartel in Nafas was involved in distributing contracts worth RM1.8 billion in public funds, and Khazanah Nasional's loss amounted to RM43.9 million over a three-year period.
Malaysians will also be following the progress in the directive by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the National Audit Department to audit 2,000 government-linked companies (GLCs).
In its editorial today, the New Straits Times has aptly described the Nafas issue as a "Malaysian malaise that rears its diseased head every now and then".
Loss of public funds through poor investments, corruption, lack of oversight or due to any other misdemeanour is very concerning, to put it mildly.
Our members of parliament must view this matter seriously and should take serious steps to reduce or eliminate past practices that have led to this sad state of affairs.
We should support mandatory efforts to make financial reports, auditing results and investment decisions publicly accessible to ensure transparency.
We should urge government agencies and departments to utilise digital platforms to share real-time updates on government expenditures and investments.
There should be comprehensive training programmes for civil servants in financial management, risk assessment and ethical governance.
We should study the feasibility of involving civil society, business groups and community organisations in the planning and decision-making processes for government investments.
The government should also consider establishing channels for public feedback and oversight. These are important so that we don't shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Finally, we should ask why our previous elected representatives did not raise any of these issues over the years. If they did, we could have prevented such massive losses.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE
Member of Malaysia Integrity Institute