Selangor to probe spending allocations of all reps

(NST) SHAH ALAM: The spending of state allocations by Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional assemblymen in Selangor will be investigated by the state's Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency.

The committee will carry out the public inquiry for five days from Aug 25.

Selcat chairman and Speaker of the state assembly Teng Chang Khim said officials from the district offices would be summoned to give details on the disbursement of the funds.

He said yesterday the inquiry would also investigate how each BN assemblymen had spent his entire annual allocation of RM500,000 within the first three months of last year.

All state allocations are disbursed through the district offices. Assemblymen have to present the paperwork and evidence of the projects before getting the money.

 

Teng said: "BN assemblymen spent their annual allocations in just over two months and we want to know how the public servants can be so efficient. We want this efficiency to be spread to other areas."

He said the committee would also study the spending patterns of Pakatan assemblymen in the first six months of the year.

"A comparison will be made between PR and BN administrations and recommendations to improve the fund distribution will be tabled at the legislative assembly."

Touching on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigation into allegations of misuse of funds, he said the panel was just going on a fishing expedition, hoping to net something.

He said MACC officers last Friday seized allocation files for all constituencies under the Klang district office.

The files include Teng's constituency of Sungai Pinang, Ronnie Liu (Pandamaran), M. Manoharan (Kota Alam Shah) and also BN's Datuk Rahman Palil (Sementa).

Teng made public copies of his state allocation expenditure for the year.

He has spent slightly more than half of his RM500,000 on 65 projects in the first six months of the year.