Auditor-General’s 2012 Report (18)
The Malaysian Insider
October 03, 2013
A day after Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin admitted that his ministry had paid RM1.6 million to bring three K-pop groups to Malaysia for a youth concert last year, his predecessor is insisting that the money did come from sponsors.
Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, in direct contradiction to Khairy’s statement, claimed the ministry had received RM20 million from domestic and foreign corporate sponsors for the event.
He said the money was banked into the National Sports Council’s account by the sponsors, which the auditor-general’s department had failed to take into account.
“The auditors only looked at the amount that came out of the ministry’s account,” he reportedly wrote in his Facebook posting, and called the department “culas” (not diligent).
“It was not taxpayers’ money that was wasted as alleged by the opposition based on the summary contained in the auditor-general’s report,” Ahmad Shabery added.
The auditor-general’s report revealed on Tuesday that RM1.6 million spent to bring in three South Korean pop groups to perform at the concert had come from the government’s coffers.
Yesterday, Khairy admitted that the ministry was forced to pay for the K-pop concert held during the World Youth Day celebration last year after the initial sponsors backed off.
Khairy also said the ministry has cancelled the K-pop concert for the 2013 Youth Day celebration. – October 3, 2013.
#1 by assamlaksa on Thursday, 3 October 2013 - 7:51 pm
If National Sports Council received the sponsor money, then NSC should be paying for the concert, why must the ministry be paying? BTW what happened to the monies received by NSC? Gone? Where?
#2 by SENGLANG on Thursday, 3 October 2013 - 8:26 pm
AG’s reports is no more shockers, rather it was expected and the people is much “expecting” what AG has to say. Year in year out it tells the stories of excesses and wastefulness on various spending. Call it wastefulness is rather insulting to the authority it should be more appropriate to say the government act is charitable with the intention to help those contractors to earn a living. If government do not spend the MOF registered contractors will not be able to survive as they only rely on government contracts to survive. Budget has been allocated so just spend it and spent it fast before the next budget. Who care the goods supply can be used or not. As far as there is delivery and acknowledgement that is fine deal close.
Stay tune for the next AG report where the substance will be the same but only different is it will be more colourful come to next report
#3 by sheriff singh on Thursday, 3 October 2013 - 9:17 pm
Why don’t these two Ministers engage in a ‘debate’ ?
#4 by yhsiew on Thursday, 3 October 2013 - 9:32 pm
Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek should stop defending the indefensible, especially when he is no longer in charge of the Youth and Sports Ministry.
#5 by Di Shi Jiu on Thursday, 3 October 2013 - 9:39 pm
Aaaahhh!!! I see how it works.
The money from the sponsors go to a separate organisation, while the Sports Ministry pays for the expenses.
So, if nobody says anything, that organisation, or rather those who control that organisation, have just received a windfall for them to spend as they please.
If someone, like that “nosey” Auditor-General, points out the discrepancy, then the denials come out and mysteriously, the Sports Ministry gets a reimbursement from the National Sports Council.
Or has there been a reimbursement by the National Sports Council?
Let me guess, only the sponsorship for THAT particular concert has not been received yet and that is why the reimbursement has not been made, right?
Why is sponsorship money being siphoned off … eeerrr… sorry.. I meant, banked to a different organisation anyway?
#6 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Friday, 4 October 2013 - 8:44 am
Right.
Lets talk about the bank account of the Ministry.
Can the ministry bank account nilly willy receive direct payment (banked-in) by the public whether individuals or corporations?
I know banking-in is a simple thing to do but it just does not seem right to me for the Min to receive payment like that.