By Terence Fernandez
“Government trips abroad are important but also an opportunity for some to make merry with people’s money.”
( This article has appeared in the scoop.com)
SOME years ago, I was part of a media team invited to the United States for a scientific and trade exhibition in California.
The exhibition was four days long and there was a delegation of about a dozen or so individuals from several government agencies such as the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry; the International Trade and Industry Ministry and the Health Ministry.
There were also a couple of Wisma Putra officials in attendance.
From what I experienced and witnessed these people were working around the clock attending to queries from international partners; organising meetings and assisting the businessmen who joined the delegation (which I was told was on their own dime).
Of course, they were ever ready to assist the media with our queries as well.
Then when ministers showed up they were busy attending to the critical needs of the VIPs so they could do their jobs better. This included ensuring there was nasi lemak for breakfast, activities for the accompanying spouses such as shopping trips and perhaps a golf game or two thrown in for good measure.
But to be fair, there were visits to universities, manufacturing plants and dialogues with the business and tech communities – all arduously planned by the respective officers of the ministries and agencies – either directly or through their respective networks and consultants.
There was even a minor panic upon realisation that the Malaysian exhibition booth was right beside the Israelis, where the State flag and Star of David provided a peculiar backdrop to the Malaysian pavilion.
But the quick-thinking staffers made some adjustments, rearranged the furniture and exhibits to ensure these Zionist representations were obscured.
On the penultimate day of the expo, a plane load of another set of VIPs representing agencies under the Prime Minister’s Office and their bag carriers—and I mean this literally – arrived. Probably numbering about 20.
They made a quick tour of the exhibition. Took photographs as one of them quipped “kena tunjuk Boss kita buat kerja” (must show the Boss we are working).
They then proceeded to a thank you dinner with the entire delegation and press corps. The next day, they checked out and proceeded to premium outlets for the required shopping.
Many of them later would travel to other parts of the United States while others were stopping by London on the way home.
A back of the napkin calculation with some of my fellow journalists as to how much this trip cost gave a conservative figure of RM2.5 million.
Of the 40-odd people there, perhaps a dozen or so were actually running around doing the work. This includes keeping the secretariat well stocked with maggi instant noodles in a cup.
In my 30 years of journalism I have had the opportunity to attend several of these delegations and I can understand why some of these trips are necessary. Branding and marketing are necessary to tell the world that Malaysia is open for business.
Many of our ambassadors, trade representatives and ministers do a commendable job in promoting the country and view these excursions as serious work trips which come with high KPIs.
No one is going to fault them for wanting a short break during these trips to take some time off to see the sights, meet up with friends and relatives there and shop on their own time and dime.
Unfortunately, to many these are seen as opportunities to have fun on the dime of the taxpayer.
Hence, it was not surprising that a delegation to an exhibition in Berlin had on its manifest a whopping 68 names!
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had poured cold water on this junket by cancelling the trip.
In my last article I pointed out that PMX should stop dishing out carrots to the civil service as he has been generously doing in the last two years. Now it is time for the stick.
As predicted by some observers, the Prime Minister’s strategy is in motion now as part of his civil service reform.
However, cancelling the trip is not enough. Those who approved it need to be accountable and justify the need to take 68 people to Europe in time for the Autumn sales. London and Paris are a two-hour skip and hop away.
The Madani Government’s call for austerity must be accompanied by meaningful policy changes and even punitive action to assure taxpayers that the painful fiscal measures the Government introduces are not juxtaposed against wasteful expenditures and a cavalier attitude in spending people’s money. As has been the case for decades under multiple administrations. – scoop.com
Editor: Terence Fernandez is the Group Editor in Chief of Big Boom Media which publishes Scoop
