Milking funds dry.
Education Minister Maszlee Malik has pledged to reveal more “skeletons” left behind by his predecessor.
Commenting on reports about the “missing funds” allocated for the 1Malaysia Milk Programme (PS1M), Maszlee said his ministry will have to conduct checks to see where the funds went.
“The previous minister doesn’t know where the milk went.
“From this moment onwards, I will reveal more ‘skeletons’ left by the previous education minister,” Maszlee told reporters in Parliament today.
It was recently reported that the milk assistance programme, which was part of an allocation of RM299 million for the Education Ministry’s Supplementary Food Programme announced by the Barisan Nasional administration during the Budget 2018 presentation, did not reach its target.
National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock had said that the milk in cartons should have been distributed to schools when the 2018 school session started in January, but he could not determine whether this was carried out.
According to Maszlee, the missing milk funds are just one of the many scandals that occurred during his predecessor’s tenure.
Umno vice-president Mahdzir Khalid was the education minister before Maszlee.
Maszlee said he will personally reveal these scandals, one by one, so that taxpayers know where their money went.
“This is not a witch hunt, but as a reminder to the current government to not repeat the mistakes by its predecessor.
“The rakyat also deserves to know, as it involves their money.
“I will establish a task force to review projects that were sealed via direct negotiations and non-compliance projects and tenders under the previous government,” he said.