Will there be transparency in KL SEA Games funds?

The Commonwealth Games hosted by Malaysia is now a distant memory. After almost 19 years, five sports ministers and three prime ministers, Malaysians do not have a clue to how much was made or lost. We know that millions were received in the form of government grants, sponsorship, sale of number plates, tickets and the like.

We are also aware of the extravagance - the building and upgrading of venues, accommodation for players; multi-coloured blazers for officials, payment of salaries for officials and allowances for volunteers and of course, highly-paid foreign consultants. There was also a trail of unpaid bills which ended up in legal disputes.

So, how much was received and how much was spent? This question has been repeatedly asked since 1999 and no answers have been forthcoming. Even Sukom 98 Berhad - the company set up to organise the Games - has undergone voluntary liquidation.

Fast forward to 2012, where once again RM20 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on the “Road to London” project, hoping the first Olympic gold medal will come our way. Immediately after the Games, then sports minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek told a packed press conference that there would be full disclosure of the records of the RM20 million spent on Olympic preparations if the public wanted to see the records.

But a couple of months later, he was overruled by the then-director-general of the National Sports Council, Zolkples Embong. Never mind his audacity to defy his boss, but his reasoning was even stranger. He took the view that the public does not have access to the expenditure and deemed it non-obligatory:

“We cannot give to the public every detail of the accounts. It is not necessary. The accounts have been tabled to the National Sports Council board and have been audited by the auditor-general.”

Then he thundered: There is no procedure in the National Sports Council Act to allow such accounts to be presented to the media.

Zolkples was adamant that the public cannot access the accounts despite the promises made by the minister. “Our accounts must be presented to the cabinet first, and then to parliament. You just tell me what you want to know, we will tell you what you want to know. The questions must be valid,” he said.

It has been said before and it is worth repeating: Civil servants are not policymakers. They merely implement the policies of the state. So, if the minister says make the accounts public, it has to be done - saying “no” is not even an option and there should be no “ifs” and “buts”.

But the Malaysian civil service works differently because there is hardly a thin line when it comes to separation of powers. Because of political interference in the administration, such practices - however unpalatable - are accepted as quid pro quo.

Today, the same Zolkples is the CEO of MASOC (Malaysian Organising Committee of the SEA Games). He has been pictured in the media receiving sponsorship and donations from all and sundry for the Games which will be held in August. According to media reports, it will cost RM40 million sans the cost of upgrading and building new infrastructure, to host the Games.

Shrouded in secrecy

That’s not all. Part of the preparation and organising the Games have been handed over to a team of “Project Managers” - and of course, at a price. So has the procurement of sponsorship. And at almost every turn, there is a “consultant”, and there’s talk in sports circles about their competence, experience and inevitably, their fees.

One such foreigner turned up on our soil to tell us where the toilets for drug-testing should be placed! What an irony when our very own Malaysians sit on international anti-doping bodies and have indispensable expertise.

But these are not the real issues. The question is: Will there be total transparency and will the accounts for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games be made available for public scrutiny?

Why not? After all, it is the people’s money that is being used to build the infrastructure and there’s an allocation from the government, which means it is your money and mine. Besides what happened to the so-called transformation programme where it was touted that the government will be more open and transparent?

The people are not interested in how many paper clips and drawing pins that are used, but at what cost they are bought. A case in point: the Women’s Games in which the Sports Ministry pumped in millions. The organisers hire photocopiers for RM800,000 for just three days.

Why are Malaysians so sceptical? The Auditor-General’s report has pointed out how screw drivers and hydraulic jacks are purchased at exorbitant prices. The same could happen if the transactions are shrouded in secrecy.

Every year, the ministry allocates millions of ringgit to national sports associations for various activities including development programmes. These groups should be made accountable as to how the funds are spent. Some of them do and in at least one case - the Paralympic Council of Malaysia, RM3.8 million allegedly disappeared. Despite identifying the people involved, nothing has happened.

The culture of openness must start with the ministry. It should lead the way in showing these organisations and hundreds of smaller sports and cultural clubs that being open and accountable are cornerstones of good governance.

By the way, if there’s nothing to hide, why is the reluctance to open the books?

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R NADESWARAN hopes this year’s SEA Games will be the most successful ever not only in terms of participation and medals but also in being able to make public the accounts for all right-thinking Malaysians to rejoice and feel proud.- Mkini