By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 15, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — A total of RM63.9 million was spent to hire consultants for Pemandu and to organise three open days for Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) initiatives, the government said today.
Minister in the prime minister’s department Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said that the government had paid RM36.3 million to various consultants, while RM27.6 million was used for the open days in Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu last year.
In two written replies to DAP’s Liew Chin Tong, Koh said that the costs were justified as they were far lower than the allocated budget.
Koh said that Pemandu had appointed seven consultancy firms to execute government labs as well as prepare reports for showcasing purposes and press kits.
“The expenditure for consultants for eight National Key Result Area (NKRA) labs from September to October 2009 cost RM6.3 million, (and) it was managed wholly by the consultants.
“For 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) labs from May to June 2010, RM16 million (was spent) and for 12 other labs from January to November 2010 (the cost was) RM14 million, half of which Pemandu officers had conducted on their own.
“Whereas for six SRL (Strategic Reform Initiatives) that were organised from February to April 2011, they were completely managed by Pemandu officers, without the involvement of consultants,” said Koh.
Koh said that other governments around the world also engaged consultants and sought expert advice to provide guidelines and aid to the government to improve its performance.
Liew had also asked the government to state the publicity costs for the launch of, road shows and advertisements for the GTP and ETP programmes.
For the GTP programmes, Koh said the total cost of the open day, which took place over three days in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, came up to RM5.4 million.
“Meanwhile, for communications and publicity, RM9.7 million (was spent), so in total, it was RM15.1 million,” he said.
He explained that RM5.44 billion had been allocated for GTP programmes last year and that the amount spent was less than 0.28 per cent of total allocations.
“It is also far less than the cost of communications spent by the private sector. It should be noted that six key result areas under the NKRA for 2010 achieved 93 per cent in performance and by spending RM4.31 billion, or only 80 per cent of the budget,” he said.
Koh said that the government had spent RM12.5 million for its ETP programmes — RM5.7 million for the launch and open day that took place over three days, as well as RM6.8 million for communications.
#1 by Godfather on Wednesday, 15 June 2011 - 10:53 pm
Spend, spend, spend now because there may not be another opportunity again….
Let the rakyat suffer in pain, unable to bear the cost of fish, of petrol, of kerosene, of electricity…..honestly, if we still vote this Barang Naik gomen into power at the next GE, then we really deserve all this pain.
#2 by Indon Planter on Wednesday, 15 June 2011 - 11:24 pm
Everything spent are in millions as if there’s no tomorrow while we ordinary folks worry about day to day basic expenses.
#3 by Thor on Wednesday, 15 June 2011 - 11:38 pm
Hell be with you BN money suckers!
All spendings are in millions.
You think our ringgit are in bananna currency!
We’re forced into tightening our belt and all you blood suckers “korek” here and “korek” there.
#4 by yhsiew on Wednesday, 15 June 2011 - 11:41 pm
///Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said that the government had paid RM36.3 million to various consultants///
How come government departments do not have such experts? Shouldn’t the government make double sure that the expertise it needs for development can be found in the civil servants it hires? What is the point of hiring civil servants who cannot do the job?
#5 by monsterball on Thursday, 16 June 2011 - 5:40 am
He is so proud he can find something to do to contribute to corruptions.
This legendary puppet on the string to Mahathir for 18 years is trying hard to be a better puppet to Najib.
He feel no shame that he left Penang with Komtar Building fit for prositute dens.
He feel no shame taxi drivers have the worst reputation in Penang under him.
Worst of all…..he turned the Pearl Of The Orient to be a City of Darkness for illgeal gambling and prostitution.
He is a real disgrace to the Malaysian Chinese community.
#6 by waterfrontcoolie on Thursday, 16 June 2011 - 6:30 am
The more money is spent, the more cut is available for distribution. It is believed that the little dot down south just paid Michael Porter of Havard for his advice, not a host of consultants with a host of GENERAL opinions. I just wonder how manyreports are paid for each year, not even read by the appointing Minister himself let alone his successor! Foreign consultants can’t do much if they have no time to study the basic issues confronting the local scenario. By the yardstick of the number of consultants’ reports we have paid for, we show beat the little dot hand-down! But no, we are 4 times poorer or is it 5! We are not actually interested in the reports, we are still interested in the process of creating the reports when millions are exchanged, just like what is reported. We are so accustomed to easy cash; the only reason we need to create is the need to appoint consultants not the need to understand the result of the report. When Port Klang Authority was managed by real professionals, they did not employ consultants to plan or to advise; even the World Bank used to BEG the Authority to use their funds!! Now they employed consultants to screw up local shippers by telling them that the current profits aren’t sufficient; notwithstanding the fact that the empolyees are paid months of bonuses!!
It is obvuious that the nation is going on a suicidal path; we are creating a society that is similar to many African nations today; in spite of what the Swedish economist , Myndar [?] predicted in the 60s, that those nations would leave all the Asian countries behind by the turn of this century! He thought that by just saying ‘yes’ to the whitemen then, the Africans would surely succeed! Since they had failed the Africans, they are complaining China is invading that continent now! Are we treading similar path??
#7 by k1980 on Thursday, 16 June 2011 - 7:50 am
//A total of RM63.9 million was spent to hire consultants for Pemandu and to organise three open days for Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) initiatives//
So that’s the reason subsidies have been cut— to pay for these wastage. And yet there are matasepets and kakibotois who still want to vote umno to power again. Don’t they have conscience?
#8 by hallo on Thursday, 16 June 2011 - 8:10 am
To him, for the Nation would paid 63.9million
If for himself and any BN personal to pay, would possibly paid only 50k the most
You can see the different
#9 by dagen on Thursday, 16 June 2011 - 8:59 am
“Oooooh aaarrrgggh oooohhh oh oooooo … more more dont stop more ooooo …”
umno and yen2 ogrying away in public with an overdose of public money.