How can an average Malaysian address the A-G report?

I’m just an average person living an average life. I work an average job and I make an average salary. I’m as average as the average Malaysian can be.

That is why I feel so helpless after reading the 2012 Auditor-General’s report and knowing that there is nothing I can do it about it, just like many Malaysians out there.

Some of the highlights (among many) of the report include:

- A RM303,813 travel claim by a Ministry of Communications and Culture senior officer to Geneva, Switzerland, which was worth RM50,000.

- TM was overpaid by RM27.59 million for the MERS999 project.

- The police lost equipment worth RM1.3 million, which included 44 firearms and 29 vehicles.

- Khazanah Nasional Bhd mishandling RM3.05 million worth of paintings.

- RM1.6 million spent on a K-Pop concert was declared by the Ministry of Youth and Sports as being paid by sponsors when it was really tax-payers’ money.

The annual Auditor-General’s report is always a very revealing document for the public. But history has shown that after reveal, nothing ever happens.

This year, a tremendous amount of revelation happened and almost every single media (even the government controlled ones) are making noise.

But do you expect anything positive to happen now that all these revelations have been highlighted for all of Malaysia to see?

The only thing I see happening is politicians going on the defensive and just denying everything that is in the report, or having an excuse for it (logical or illogical).

Oh yeah. Sure. Inquiries are going to be set up and statements will be made saying that action will be taken should anyone be found guilty of misconduct.

But come on. As an average Malaysian, and I think many average Malaysians will share my view, I believe that nothing will come out of anything.

What did the police and the Home Minister say about the missing firearms? Of course they just denied without showing proof of why they say so.

According to the Inspector General of Police, there are endless possibilities of what could have happened to the firearms, including the possibility of it being lost at sea.

The Home Minister offered a much better explanation. He simply said that was no foul play involved. Full stop. That is the end of the matter.

The Youth and Sports Minister explained that when the statement was made regarding sponsors paying for the K-Pop stars, there really was an offer by sponsors.

But it was just an offer and it never materialised. Hence, the ministry was forced to foot the bill for the Youth Day celebration. It’s still not an excuse.

But at least he mentioned that the K-Pop concert for the 2013 Youth Day celebration has been cancelled.

After which he was quick to also state that the ministry’s expenditure in the report was made before he was appointed as minister.

Oh well, he has good public relations skills and knows how to spin and word good sentences that sounds nice.

As an average Malaysian, and I think that many average Malaysians will share my view, I really expect sackings and resignations to happen.

But then, as an average Malaysian, and I think that many average Malaysians know that none of that will ever happen in this Malaysia.

And so I, as an average Malaysian, feel really helpless right now. There really isn’t anything we can do, is there?