Anwar wants statutory bodies to make paradigm shift, be more transparent

The Star

Federal statutory bodies must adopt a paradigm shift towards greater transparency by reviewing their structures and visions and avoiding actions that contradict good governance, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.  During his speech at the launch of the Guidelines on the Management and Governance of Federal Statutory Bodies on Friday (Aug 9), the Prime Minister mentioned that the government would consider increasing allocations to enhance the audit monitoring mechanism at all levels—federal, state, and local—to ensure transparency and prevent corruption.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/2wvstfwu  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00In this country, the issue of governance is a big one.

00:08That's why we don't want to make it complicated.

00:15The aim of a country is the issue of governance.

00:23Governance means an effort to improve performance.

00:31The level of perfection is from the top to the bottom.

00:39So the principle here is to use the same principle in all levels.

00:46In legal bodies, sometimes it's in the top ranks.

00:50Just like what the head of state has studied.

00:56It's still sustainable.

00:58But there is a tendency between companies and governments

01:04to form companies or subsidiaries.

01:09And that's where a lot of violations happen.

01:14That's why we recently changed the law

01:19that allows the head of state to enter and conduct audits

01:27not only in the top companies, but also in the bottom companies.

01:34I can give you a few examples,

01:37but it's not fair for people who are in control now.

01:41But if you look at the big examples,

01:45and there are some that are controlled by ministers

01:50who know for sure and bring them to the Cabinet

01:54and close dozens of companies under the agency.

02:00These agencies are important to develop growth

02:05or accelerate the process of growth.

02:10Especially in the top ranks.

02:13Most of the legal bodies are there to help the head of state.

02:19But the violation of the law

02:22and the tendency to take advantage

02:26which causes the rights and interests of the head of state to be betrayed.

02:32This is what we worry about.

02:34Because the cost of living is too high.

02:39That's why we invite people here

02:47to understand that there is a need.

02:50Our country has reached a stage where it is necessary to take action.

02:56There is indeed success,

02:59there are achievements that we can be proud of.

03:03And we don't mean to deny all the good efforts before.

03:10But every country with the spirit of the hadith

03:15that I read earlier,

03:17to strive for excellence

03:24and to leave behind lost practices.

03:30And we will decide in financial policy

03:36to make more adjustments

03:38so that the monitoring is more extensive

03:43covering all branches of the United Nations, the country, and the BBT.

03:50So that we do not run away from the paradigms.

03:57I am cynical when people talk about the paradigm shift.

04:02I used to think that there was a circular about the paradigm shift every day.

04:08It became a popular trend.

04:11But did it really happen?

04:15No.

04:16You can read about the paradigm shift

04:19which was first proposed by Thomas Kuhn.

04:23The paradigm shift.

04:26It involves almost the entire foundation and system

04:32of readiness to make drastic changes.

04:35Not to make one or two additional steps

04:38and additional regulations.

04:40So that is why when we talk about the paradigm shift,

04:43I ask my colleagues,

04:45from the leaders of the U.N. and the legal bodies,

04:49to see that almost everything has to be done in a paradigm shift.

04:54Go back to the main management.

04:57See again what the focus is.

04:59Why is this body established?

05:02And how much is the expenditure for management

05:07and the impact on the people involved.

05:11Then, how many decisions that are actually very detrimental.

05:18There is an agency, for example,

05:20that should help the poor.

05:22I would like to mention here.

05:24It has established almost 79 small and medium sized companies.

05:29And most of them have nothing to do with the original purpose.

05:35And from those 79,

05:39more than 50,

05:41according to the report of Datuk Seri Zahid,

05:45TPM, who did the research,

05:47which reached him.

05:4950 of them are actually experiencing losses year after year.

05:53But the agency and its managers still get an allowance.

05:57So it means that if the agency's manager

06:01gets an allowance of 10,000 ringgit a month,

06:04or 5,000 ringgit a month,

06:07the 79 companies are also managed by him

06:10with an allowance of 1,000 ringgit a month.

06:13So in the end, he gets 79,000,

06:16plus 5,000 ringgit.

06:20Of course, now this is stopped.

06:23But I am confused.

06:26Why can this happen?

06:31Some say that this is because the agency's manager is a politician.

06:35That's not true.

06:37I know there are criticisms.

06:39Because the professionals are also like that.

06:42They can be professional cheaters.

06:45So it's not a politician or a professional or a public official.

06:49He is a cheater and a cheater.

06:52There are public officials who break the law.

06:55Cheaters.

06:56There are politicians and leaders who also break the law.

06:59There are also managers.

07:00That's why I don't want,

07:02based on the report I read,

07:05he is not only a cheater.

07:07We appoint a politician or a professional manager

07:13or a public official

07:17as long as he follows the rules

07:20and is closely monitored.

07:22Especially by the Minister of Finance

07:26and the Head of State

07:30and now the SPRM.

07:33Because these two, the SPRM and the Head of State,

07:37are asked to be more firm,

07:41more transparent,

07:44to break all the laws and regulations.

Transcript

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