The govt spends billions of dollars on large projects without disclosing the budget to the public.
Someone said that any MP can raise a question in parliament.
This is the current practice. It is a bad practice.
I expect the reply to be - we do not know the actual cost as it is subject to tender.
The MP can ask ask for the budget but it will be "begging for the answer". The govt can provide only scanty information.
A better approach is for all large ticket items to be presented to Parliament for approval.
This allows the MPs, including the opposite MPs, to study the paper in detail and ask incisive questions. Even if the MPs are too busy, the public can also carry out the detailed analysis.
A friend told me that this is the practice in Hong Kong. I believe that it is also practiced in most democratic countries.
The questioning in Parliament will lead to other alternatives being considered, Some of the alternatives may be less costly and more effective.
For example, the specification for the projects the project may be set too high. It will certainly lead to very high cost. By changing the specification, and still maintain an acceptable standard of safety and quality, the cost can be reduced considerably.
I quote a recent example. The finance minister of Malaysia asked for the specification for several transport projects to be changed. He was able to reduce the budget by a few billion dollars.
I am sure that this kind of cost saving opportunities are available for our projects.
In many countries, corrupt politicians are able to get big brides from suppliers for big infrastructure projects and military purchases.
The corruption is facilitated because these transactions are kept secret, for national security or other reasons. It is an excuse and an avenue for corrupt practices to occur.
We should make it a practice for all big expenditure to be discussed and approved in Parliament.
Tan Kin Lian
Someone said that any MP can raise a question in parliament.
This is the current practice. It is a bad practice.
I expect the reply to be - we do not know the actual cost as it is subject to tender.
The MP can ask ask for the budget but it will be "begging for the answer". The govt can provide only scanty information.
A better approach is for all large ticket items to be presented to Parliament for approval.
This allows the MPs, including the opposite MPs, to study the paper in detail and ask incisive questions. Even if the MPs are too busy, the public can also carry out the detailed analysis.
A friend told me that this is the practice in Hong Kong. I believe that it is also practiced in most democratic countries.
The questioning in Parliament will lead to other alternatives being considered, Some of the alternatives may be less costly and more effective.
For example, the specification for the projects the project may be set too high. It will certainly lead to very high cost. By changing the specification, and still maintain an acceptable standard of safety and quality, the cost can be reduced considerably.
I quote a recent example. The finance minister of Malaysia asked for the specification for several transport projects to be changed. He was able to reduce the budget by a few billion dollars.
I am sure that this kind of cost saving opportunities are available for our projects.
In many countries, corrupt politicians are able to get big brides from suppliers for big infrastructure projects and military purchases.
The corruption is facilitated because these transactions are kept secret, for national security or other reasons. It is an excuse and an avenue for corrupt practices to occur.
We should make it a practice for all big expenditure to be discussed and approved in Parliament.
Tan Kin Lian
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