Uniforms, shoes did not reach Sabah students

Queville To

According to the Auditor-General’s Report, several local councils in Sabah had failed to submit their accounts for auditing.

KOTA KINABALU: Thousands of uniforms and shoes meant for students in Sabah were part of the “unmonitored” stockpiles found in schools in the state.

A shocked Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui said the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report also pointed out boxes of stationery and milk meant for schoolchildren were found in the stockpiles.

“How is that the authorities had failed to monitor the distribution of school uniforms, shoes, stationery, and milk to schoolchildren in Sabah (which was last year reported as having the highest number of poor in Malaysia)?

“But that’s not all. The A-G’s Report also said several state libraries had not received books which have been paid for.

“The expensive mobile library buses are also not functioning, books are not categorised and ICT facilities which were promised have not been installed,” she said, referring to the embarrassing disclosure in the report.

Chua said thousands of infrastructure projects in Sabah are not worth the millions of ringgit they have cost.

No accounts submitted

Demanding that the government explain how such a situation could happen, Chua said it was shocking that the “cash-rich” state Barisan Nasional government had done away with the annual checks and balances on the billions of ringgit flowing into the state.

She said the failure by several local councils in Sabah to submit their accounts for auditing should also raise alarm bells in the state and federal governments.

“This is the most alarming finding in the report,” she said.

According to her, many of the audited accounts of the various government departments and agencies proved that there were elements of corruption, misuse of public funds, wastage of taxpayers’ money and abuse of powers.

“It seems to be getting worse in the departments and agencies in Sabah.

“What is the point of achieving NKRA (National Key Result Area) on paper when there is so much corruption and abuses on the ground?” she asked.

She cited as examples of wastage the purchase of two vessels – Kapal Jemalin M28 and Kapal Pemaliman in Sandakan, and Kapal Tarek M47 in Kota Kinabalu – by the Sabah Port Authority which have not been used.

Audited reports on the Tawau district council, among others, revealed the council had failed to address the shortage of parking space despite widespread anger over the issue.

Poor quality structures

The report also identified the failure of the second phase of the Tawau sewerage treatment plant and pump station which were completed in 2008, simply because no provisions were made to supply electricity to the facility.

Chua, who is a vice-president of the opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), also regretted that although Sabah had managed to spend 94.4 percent or RM6.02 billion of the RM6.37 billion provided in the Ninth Malaysia Plan, many of the 34,485 projects were of poor standard and could not be used.

“All this is just a waste of public funds,” she said.

The report highlighted the case of an agriculture tractor purchased for the Lahad Datu district council at the cost of RM83,839 in 2009 that had never been used and public toilets costing RM196,900 which were unusable.

Even Semporna, the district under top Umno leader Shafie Apdal, was blacklisted in the report, with payment made for shoddily repaired wooden bridges and walkways which are posing a danger to the public.

Several projects carried out under the State Education Department such as the building of teachers’ quarters and repair of classrooms and several other facilities were found to be of poor quality or not functioning.

The report noted that some projects even lacked in basic plans.

Chua said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should act against those who are involved and not continue to protect them.