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ALOR SETAR - Complacency, coupled with a lack of responsibility and accountability in managing government projects, continues to fuel the recurring wastage of taxpayers’ money.
Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir stressed that although the country has been independent for nearly 70 years and governments have changed over time, the same weaknesses continue to persist, resulting in projects funded by taxpayers’ money facing various problems.
He said the criticism he raised over the water treatment plant (LRA) project in Kedah was not intended to blame any party but to ensure that shortcomings in the management of government projects are addressed.
"I know some people are unhappy with me for sharing what happened with the LRA project in Kedah. Some have even called me outspoken because I highlighted weaknesses in the management of projects funded by taxpayers’ money for the benefit of the people.
"Others say this is not my job, that my role as a minister is only to look after policy. But I make no apology for saying that we can no longer continue with business as usual,” he said in a post on X.
Akmal Nasrullah said the issue was not merely about policy, as government policies would continue to evolve in line with changing needs, but rather about attitudes and mindsets that needed to change.
He said he had been following and monitoring the Kedah LRA project for a long time, from the period it was under the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (PETRA) to its subsequent coordination by the Economy Ministry.
He added that several concerns had been raised, but he had not seen the necessary improvements being made until the very problems he had warned about eventually materialised.
"I have done all I could, but my warnings went unheeded until it was too late,” he said. - BERNAMA
