A-G's Report to include 5-year delay in building
Published on: Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Penampang: Penampang will be included in the Auditor-General's Report Series 1/2017 for Parliament in July 2018 due to the Native Court building here being completed five years behind schedule.National Auditor-General Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad disclosed this after listening to briefings by the Sabah Public Works Department (PWD) Director and District Chief at the courtroom of the building, here, Tuesday morning.She said her auditors would find out what happened and why the procedures were not followed, to avoid repeating the same mistake.
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"We want best value for money, all projects carried out efficiently, effectively and economically, not like the Native Court building which was supposed to be completed in 2012 but only completed in 2017," she said.She acknowledged that the PWD had carried out the project in-house, designed and supervised, and its expertise could not be questioned. "The first contractor was not competent or efficient but who supervised? It can't be all due to the fault of the contractor as the supervisors are responsible to ensure the contractor follows all the specifications," she said.She said she has yet to establish how much liability was caused by the delay.
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"Our auditors will produce a report and table it in the Parliament to be debated and punitive actions will be recommended for any public servant found negligent in their duties, or the consultant or construction company."There can be some negligence on the part of the PWD. However, it can't be faulted 100 per cent if the contractor is also not performing. The Government promised the building but a five-year delay is very sad.
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"We have to pinpoint the weaknesses so that there is room for improvement. Mistakes are made but the same should not be repeated twice," she added.She said punitive actions could also be recommended for third parties for negligence. "If the police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission cannot act, we will lodge a complaint to the professional bodies that govern them in order to protect the interests of the Government and the rakyat."When I was working as Chief Secretary for two ministries, I have had many friends but now as Head of Audit, I have no friends…but that's okay," she said, adding that the lessons learnt through the Sabah PWD must be entrenched in the minds of all officers. "This building is something we are proud of but it should have been completed five years ago," she stressed."Many do not like the National Audit but I am sure the rakyat (people) love us as we safeguard their interests," she added.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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