Ramadan: Govt asked to monitor departmental expenses, ensure no wasteful spending

The government has been called on to strictly monitor the spending of all its departments, including public schools and tertiary institutions, nationwide during the month of Ramadan, which begins today.

In making the call, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Faculty of Syariah and Law associate professor Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow said Muslims should show intense devotion during Ramadan but can fall prey to wasteful spending if not cautious.

“There is a concern that some government departments start spending a lot of money, preparing extravagant office decorations to celebrate the arrival of Ramadan, organising grand and wasteful breaking of fast, planning huge and lavish Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

“It is not wise for the government to spend lavishly in light of the high cost of living and economic uncertainty. Muslims need to understand and respect the core objective of Ramadan, which is a month of minimalism and reduction,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Muzaffar said it is important to note that minimalism and moderation should not be confined to Ramadan alone.

He said government departments need to seriously consider curbing spending as they are using the public’s money for their operations.

“All government departments and agencies should take note over the prudent spending instructions given by the government recently. According to the Chief Secretary to the Government, in an effort to ensure optimal government spending, the organisation of events, ceremonies, meetings, seminars, and workshops is restricted to programmes deemed necessary,” he said.

The instructions included suggestions of holding events at public premises or public training institutes, while meetings should be held online via video conferencing.

“Also stated in the directive is the optimal use of utility resources such as electricity, water, and office equipment, and avoiding food and beverage waste for meetings or programmes,” he said.

Muzaffar said the directive also reminded controlling officers to carry out their duties and responsibilities as stipulated under Section 15A of the Financial Procedure Act 1957.

According to him, public officials who fail to comply with the financial regulations in force can be subject to stern action under Section 18 of the same Act.

He stressed that public money should be spent prudently, and the government departments and agencies cannot treat or use public money like their own to organise activities or programmes deemed wasteful and not beneficial.

“With the current economic uncertainty and high cost of living, public money should be spent for activities and programmes which can bring significant benefits to the people and the country.

“Public money must never be wasted on any meaningless activities and programmes,” he added.