What is PM’s Dept doing with RM4 billion?

It is alarming to read that the government has set aside RM4 billion for the PM’s Department alone this year.

Equally shocked to hear that the number of civil servants in the same department has doubled in the space of seven years since Mahathir stepped down – from 21,045 in 2003 to 43,544 in 2010.

That’s a hundred per cent increase in headcount in seven years! Is this part of the “KPIs”?
RM4 billion is many times more than the annual budget of any state government.

In contrast, the budget for the Selangor government, which has to look after over 5 million residents in the state, is RM1.3 billion for 2010. For Penang, the state government’s budget for 2010 is RM0.7 billion.

The Prime Minister needs to justify the large allocation for his department and explain what 43,544 staff are doing. The accounts for his department must also be made public to show how all this public money is being spent.

According to the Malaysian Insider, Nazri says the increase is due to the ‘creation of new agencies’ and additional posts. What new agencies? and what additional posts during a time of economic difficulties?

The PM’s Department should take a leaf from the White House and put online the list of all the employees in the PM’s Department, along with their official job titles and salaries.
That’s RM4 billion of public money.

Who is subsidising whom now?

Anil Netto
16/07/10

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