May 11, 2012 in Articles, Events@PLF, Media, PLF News, Speeches, Spotlight
Perdana Discourse Series #14 :
Enhancing accountability & integrity in the Malaysian Public Sector – Are we doing enough?
Welcome Remark by Tan Sri Azman Hashim,
Chairman, Board of Trustees
PERDANA LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION
May 10, 2012 in Articles, Events@PLF, Media, PLF News, Speeches, Spotlight
Tan Sri Dato' Setia Haji Ambrin Buang
May 10, 2012 | By Zarina Abu Bakar
Accountability and Integrity are two of the most important qualities in any organisation but especially in the public sector where the stakeholder are millions of taxpayers and at stake is the country’s future. With the rakyat’s voice growing more strident over what they perceive to be negligent and fraudulent acts by public officials that result in billions of public funds being squandered, demands for accountability and integrity have grown to a clamour that cannot be ignored.
Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, the Auditor-General of Malaysia, agrees that there is “increasing public awareness, if not concern, regarding weaknesses in public sector financial management and service delivery by the country’s public servants”. This is why the Auditor-General’s report is “eagerly awaited by the public at large who are increasingly vocal about the perceived inaction by the relevant government agencies to rectify the weaknesses exposed by the AG”.
Tan Sri Ambrin was speaking at the 14th Perdana Discourse Series jointly organised by the Perdana Leadership Foundation and UiTM. The theme of the Discourse was “Enhancing Accountability and Integrity in the Malaysian Public Sector – Are We Doing Enough?” and the event was attended by around 200 people, mostly students and academics.
In his 45-minute keynote address, Tan Sri Ambrin explained about the role and limitations of the Auditor-General’s Office (Jabatan Audit Negara or JAN). Auditing is conducted on a random sampling basis and it is impossible for JAN to cover every government agency and project. JAN has a staff size of 2,000 nationwide whereas the Malaysian public service is 1.4 million strong and managing billions of Ringgit.
At the federal level, JAN is the external auditor of 25 Ministries, 120 statutory bodies, and 110 departments and agencies, conducting attestation audits on financial statements, compliance audits on financial management and performance audits on government programmes, projects and activities. For financial statements, JAN covers the Federal Government accounts, 13 state accounts and the accounts of Federal and state statutory bodies like the EPF, Bank Negara Malaysia, Felda, Bank Simpanan Nasional, LTAT and Bank Kerjasama Rakyat.
It is thus important for external audits to be complemented by internal audits, and to be effective, Tan Sri Ambrin advised that the head of internal audit be of equal rank to divisional heads of ministries or agencies so that his views are given due respect. Of course, the value of internal audit will depend on the response by departmental and agency heads who, he stressed, need to take stern action against staff identified in internal audits.
The failure to take action is often the cause of widespread fraud or negligence. “In the past,” he said, “we observe that these heads are rather reluctant to penalise their staff out of sympathy or simply to protect the good image of their department or agency…how much action has been taken by those heads on the findings of their own internal audit? Not many that I know.”
Without swift action and leadership that sets a firm tone against fraud and corruption, the noble calls for accountability, integrity and transparency would remain mere lip service, Tan Sri Ambrin said.
To read the whole speech by Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, after the jump.
May 10, 2012 in Articles, Events@PLF, Media, PLF News, Speeches, Spotlight
PUTRAJAYA, May 9 — The government has undertaken several measures to promote good governance, accountability and transparency, said Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang.
He cited the National Key Result Area (NKRA) against corruption as an important element in the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), under which several core initiatives have been undertaken with regard to regulations, enforcement and grand corruption.
May 7, 2012 in Articles, Events@PLF, Perdana Library, PLF News, Research@PLF, Resource Centre, Supporting the Foundation
Perdana Leadership Foundation is back with its Perdana Discourse Series.
The 14th Perdana Discourse Series themed, “Enhancing Accountability & Integrity in the Malaysian Public Sector – Are we doing enough?” will be on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at the Foundation’s building in Putrajaya.
November 4, 2011 in Articles, Events@PLF, PLF News, Spotlight
YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Azman Hashim, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation
Innovation is key to Malaysia’s success in the 21st century as it aims to reach high-income status by the year 2020. This was the basis of discussions at the 13th Perdana Discourse Series “Building a Culture of Innovation in Malaysia: Successes, Strategies and Challenges” organised by the Perdana Leadership Foundation and Universiti Teknologi MARA on the 2nd of November 2011.
In his welcome address, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Azman Hashim, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation, remarked, “Where industrialisation relied on our natural resources and labour, now it will be the application of knowledge to innovate and the speed by which it is applied on the part of governments, businesses and the workforce that will determine our success in this new age of rapid technological change.”
There were Malaysian success stories highlighted in the keynote address of Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Augustine S.H. Ong, Founder-President of MINDS (Malaysian Innovation and Design Society) and former Director-General of PORIM (Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia). An eminent scientist with 14 patents to his name, Tan Sri Augustine highlighted the Malaysian innovators such as Pua Khein Seng, the inventor of the thumb drive, and Professor Dr. Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abdul Rahman, who was the first scientist to crystallise protein – but also stressed that Malaysian discoveries often do not receive sufficient support nor recognition from the public and funding sectors.
Tan Sri told the tale of Tocotrienols (an essential component of vitamin E) which were first isolated by Malaysians working in palm oil research but which subsequently were leveraged by others, namely the Americans, due to lack of support in Malaysia to take this discovery further.
YBhg Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Augustine S.H. Ong, Founder-President of MINDS, being candid during his keynote address.
During the panel session, panelists Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of Multimedia Development Corporation, Mr. Prakash Chandran, CEO of Siemens Malaysia and Encik Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp, all agreed that innovation thrives in an open culture that encourages questions and ideas. Formality and bureaucratic layers should be reduced to encourage the free-flow of ideas, and diversity – of backgrounds, expertise and knowledge – will boost innovation. Silicon Valley’s diversity of human resources – where many entrepreneurs come from other countries – was cited as a prime example of diversity working in innovation’s favour.
Mr. Prakash also listed the various factors that encourage innovation in an organisation, using Siemens and its long track record of producing inventions and discoveries, as a model: leadership support, talent procurement and management, resources and technology. He reminded the audience that innovation is not the exclusive domain of scientists and researchers but should be pursued across all of an organisation’s departments. This change in thinking, he said, is one of the challenges faced at Siemens.
Datuk Badlisham also stressed that ideas on their own are not unique and it is in execution of the idea that value is generated. “Do not be too protective of your idea,” he advised.
Johan Merican emphasized three factors that he believed are key to an innovative culture: Knowledge, Leadership and Thinking Skills, and added that ethical underpinnings are also necessary to ensure innovations lead to positive outcomes.
During panel session – (from left) Mr Prakash Chandran, President & CEO of Siemens Malaysia, En. Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp Malaysia, Puan Zuraidah Haji Musib, CEO of Primakarya Media and Communications Consultancy and Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of MDeC
Members of the 200-strong audience consisted of students and academics, as well as R&D staff of corporations.
The Perdana Discourse Series debuted in August 2004 when Tun Dr Mahathir discussed the inaugural topic of “National Unity”. Other Discourses within the series dealt with subjects such as National Sovereignty, Media and National Development, and Political Stability.
The Series aims to foster interaction and dialogue between older and younger Malaysians on issues of national importance, such as unity, social re-construction and education; attracting and stimulating the young Malaysian’s interest and increase awareness on the country’s leadership path by tracing the policies, strategies and models used during the tenure of the past Prime Ministers. A monograph of the discussions and issues arising from the discourse will be documented and published.
The Perdana Discourse Series is sponsored by PROTON Holdings Berhad.
Full house - The audience during the PDS13
En. Johan Mahmood Merican, CEO of TalentCorp Malaysia
During Q&A session
Registration of delegates
International students from Albukhary International University at the discourse
Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, CEO of MDeC
Keynote Speaker, YBhg Tan Sri Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Augustine S.H. Ong, Founder-President of MINDS.