KUALA LUMPUR: No one will be shielded from justice if the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and independent auditor find questionable practices at the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), says Steven Sim.
The Human Resources Minister said he took a serious view of the findings by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Auditor-General and the ministry had taken swift steps to address them.
“If investigations lean towards any individual who is proven to be guilty, I will not hesitate in taking appropriate action.
“This is regardless of whether it is a minister, deputy minister, or senior management.
“This is our commitment,” he said during his winding-up speech on the Auditor-General’s Report in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (July 10).
Among the measures taken were lodging MACC reports within 24 hours of the Auditor-General’s Report being tabled in Parliament.
Sim also called for an independent audit of HRD Corp.
“This has never been done. To ensure transparency, a third party will be appointed by the ministry.
“It will scrutinise all processes, procedures, documents and legal adherence to issues highlighted in the reports,” he said.
He added that a special task force led by ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud has also been formed to facilitate investigations by the MACC and to address the findings of the independent audit.
Sim said he had been told of ongoing investigations involving the ministry and HRD Corp since assuming his post in December.
“I instructed both to give full cooperation to the PAC and National Audit Department,” he said.
While both reports reflected findings about HRD Corp during the Perikatan Nasional administration, Sim said he neither wanted to point a finger at nor defend anyone.
“The people deserve to know the facts and truth behind government matters,” he said.
