AS it is the responsibility of every citizen and business to pay taxes, duties, various fees, charges and other sources of revenue accrued to the Government, they also have the right to expect or question how such revenue is spent.
Citing an example, former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said that the COVID-19 pandemic has often been used as an excuse by the Government not to table an expenditure notably supplementary budget in the Parliament.
She described the act as “bad and irresponsible management and governance” when the books are not open to scrutiny as evident in the rakyat being told much later that “millions, hundreds of millions, and tens of billions (had) already been spent”.
“Hopefully, the so called ‘new’ Government will show responsibility and integrity in running our country and not continue to do things that will ultimately ruin our country,” she wrote in her latest Facebook posting about managing public money.
“Let us remind this new Government of this basic fact: Every ringgit in the public coffers is money from the stakeholders of this country of ours.”
Rafidah further laid out the fact that the rakyat have every right to expect the Government, among other things, to:
- Be judicious and careful about using public funds at all levels of administration;
- Ensure that every expenditure will benefit the rakyat whether directly or indirectly;
- Be accountable for any expenditure, and be open to scrutiny by the public accounts committee and by Parliament; and
- Set the necessary good example in managing public funds with integrity and sense of responsibility
“No expenditure should be on unnecessary, frivolous, and ego boosting events and programmes,” she pointed out. “There is only that thin line between ‘running’ the country and and ‘ruining’ it.”
Rafidah ended her FB posting with a quote from the late former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: “It is your tax which pays for public spending. The government has no money of its own. There is only taxpayers’ money.” – Aug 25, 2021
