KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Oct: The country is able to save almost RM20 billion a year, in addition to reducing the deficit until 1.5 percent if the practices of corruption and extravagance by the BN government is eradicated, according to Pakatan Rakyat’s study.
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) at a rate of six percent and the reduction of fuel subsidy is not urgent if corruption and leakages are addressed.
He said that the Auditor-General’s report also showed wastage after wastage by BN, however leakages are still rampant until today.
“Every year, PR reproaches the government on the improvidence and corruption practiced by them, however this reproach is like pouring water on yam leaves (falling on deaf ears).
“Every year we witness wastage after wastage in the Auditor-General’s report, in fact, if scrutinised, the Auditor-General’s reproaches also brought up continuous wastage and leakages,” he said when debating the Federal Government’ Budget 2015 in the House of Representatives today.
Anwar also revealed that the Federal Government’s debt for 2013 has now reached RM569 billion or 53 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the estimated accumulated loss of fund amounts to RM1.2 trillion since 2002 to 2011.
In fact, he said that the Corruption Perceptions Index statistics place Malaysia as the 53rd most corrupt country out of 177 countries.
“The latest report by the Asia Pacific Fraud Survey Report, series 2013, dated October 2014 from Ernst and Young said that Malaysia is among the most corrupt countries in Asia Pacific after Chine and likes to take shortcuts to reach economic targets, due to increase in competition and a gripping economic situation.
“Malaysia is also seen as being trapped in a low-value economy and now is forced to compete with new countries with lower structural costs.
“The result is that the rate of increase for the people’s income is far behind compared to the rate of increase for the cost of living,” he added.
NS