PAC: Probe 1AZAM again

Weaknesses in management caused leakages, says Hasni

THE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is calling for a reinvestigation into the management of the 1AZAM programme because of the losses suffered.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin said the programme should continue but there were weaknesses in the management.

“The PAC views seriously the weaknesses in the implementation of the programme which resulted in leakages.

“It is understood that the case is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) and as such, the PAC recommends that the Public Services Department reinvestigate the matter,” he said in a statement after tabling the PAC Report.

Hasan said there must be detailed vetting before aid was approved for participants, who must benefit directly from the programme.

The parliamentary bi-partisan committee based its findings on the Auditor-General's Report 2013.

Among the weaknesses was the supply of RM8mil worth of equipment by 22 suppliers without any specification details and the absence of standard operating procedures for supply.

The report noted that eight out of 10 participants received equipment worth RM5,000 which was either faulty, spoilt or did not last long.

“Sixty-four out of 265 participants did not benefit from the equipment provided, resulting in wastage,” the report stated.

The PAC also discovered that the status of several participants was not in the e-Kasih database.

It also found that the 1AZAM cluster programme involving chalets, bird’s nest harvesting and chili farming projects failed to provide income to 278 participants in Kedah.

The PAC also noted that Yayasan Kebajikan Negara had set up a 1AZAM account in September 2014 and banked in RM5.51mil out of the RM165.5mil allocated for the programme.

The balance was found in fixed deposit accounts in 10 local banks.

The 1AZAM programme launched in 2010 was aimed at providing aid and economic opportunities to low income and hardcore poor families.

The programme is spearheaded by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry with the assistance of several other agencies.