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The Auditor-General’s Report 2012: Shocking revelations!
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According to the Auditor-General’s Report 2012, the concert, which was part of the mammoth 2012 Hari Belia celebrations, had cost the government RM1.6 million.
The total bill for the Youth and Sports Ministry’s 2012 Youth Day event appears to be endlessly ballooning, from RM55 million in June to RM67.61 million now.
‘K-Pop event now RM67mil: What else is gov’t hiding?’
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Malaysia Insider
Chinese youths shunning our event, so we brought in Korean groups, says Khairy
BY EILEEN NG
November 13, 2013
Participants at the National Youth Day celebrations in Putrajaya last year. Khairy says the government found it difficult to attract Chinese youths to such events. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 13, 2013.
The RM1.6 million K-Pop concert last year was to attract Chinese youths to attend the National Youth Day celebrations organised by Putrajaya, according to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy said in 2010 and 2011, the government found it difficult to attract young people, especially the Chinese, to the event.
“We had to think of ways to attract more Chinese and one of the suggestions was to have K-Pop concert, which clearly has a huge following among the community.
“And when we held the K-Pop concert last year, we could see lots of Chinese youths in attendance,” he said when winding up the Budget 2014 debate in the Parliament today.
The 2012 Auditor-General’s Report revealed last month that the government paid RM1.6 million to bring in the South Korean groups, contrary to an earlier claim that privately companies sponsored the show.
The three K-Pop groups – U-Kiss, Teen-Top and Dal Shabet – were brought in by Stadium First Sdn Bhd.
Khairy, who took over the Youth and Sports portfolio last May, had confirmed that the ministry paid for the concert, after the AG’s report was presented in Parliament.
This contradicted his predecessor Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek’s claim that the ministry received RM20 million from domestic and foreign corporate sponsors for the event.
The AG said it could not find such sponsorship being made during the audit process.
Shabery will appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tomorrow to give his statement on the matter.
Chinese youths shunning our event, so we brought in Korean groups, says Khairy
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Malaysiakini
MP SPEAKS Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek wants live television coverage of his appearance before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to prove himself right and auditor-general Ambrin Buang wrong over the expenses on the K-Pop concert last year.
Shabery had challenged the Auditor-General’s Report 2012 that the K-Pop concert, which was part of the mammoth 2012 Hari Belia celebrations, had cost the government RM1.6 million, claiming that the auditor-general was “culas” (not diligent) in the audit and did not take into account the RM20 million in sponsorship raised.
Strangely, current Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar has also said the government paid for the concert, but was forced to do so because sponsorship pledges fell through.
Shabery should be given the opportunity of live telecast of his testimony before the PAC on the Auditor-General’s 2012 Report on the government expenditure of RM1.6 million for the K-Pop concert, since the ministry had claimed right from the beginning that the cost of bringing in the three K-Pop groups – U-Kiss, Teen-Topo and Dal Shabet – was borne through sponsorship.
Let Shabery respond to the audit report on the Youth Ministry when he was the minister, including the auditor-general’s reprimand of “excessive” and “imprudent” spending, amounting to RM3 million on this and eight other programmes to mark the 2012 Hari Belia.
For more:
Let’s watch Shabery defend K-Pop bill on prime time
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Malaysiakini
Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek is so confident that he is in the right on government expenditure for a K-Pop concert last year that he wants to explain this live on television.
In a text message to Malaysiakini, Shabery said he is willing to be probed by the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) and has even contacted PAC chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed on the matter.
“I will explain this matter to the PAC. I have contacted the PAC chairperson to call me.
“I will also request that Parliament allows the proceedings of my explanation to the PAC to be broadcast live on television,” he said.
Shabery ready to defend K-Pop expenditure ‘live’
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Malaysia Chronicle
Wednesday, 09 October 2013 11:46
Anwar takes umbrage at RM67 MILLION spent on youth event, calls for Shabery to be probed
Written by Malaysia Chronicle
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Malaysiakini
The authorities should question former youth and sports minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek on the ministry’s RM67.6 million bill for the 2012 Youth Day celebrations, says Anwar Ibrahim.
According to the Auditor-General’s Report 2012, the ministry spent four times more than what was allocated for the event, including splashing RM1.6 million to hire the K-Pop performers.
The initial allocation was RM15 million, Anwar said.
Grill Shabery on K-Pop bash, PKR tells MACC
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Malaysiakini
Suspecting “elements of corruption” in the financing of the K-Pop performance at last year’s National Youth Day, Penang DAP Socialist Youth has lodged a report with the the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim (left) and DAP Bukit Bendera chief Haris Zuan lodged the report at the MACC office in Penang today, based on details revealed in the Auditor-General’s Report 2012.
They have asked the MACC to carry out its probe without fear or favour into the RM1.6 million spent on the event, organised by the Sports and Youth Ministry.
Sim pointed to the cost – originally stated as RM15 million – of organising the event which was held from May 23-27, 2012 in Putrajaya.
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After the cost was revealed, it was learnt that the ministry had spent RM67.61 million, or an average of RM13.52 million a day, on the programme, he added.
“The cost of RM67.61 million is too high for the programme. The auditor-general has stated that the event was organised without much thought (tidak berhemat),” said Sim, who also questioned the discrepancies in official statements made to date.
K-Pop funds query reported to MACC for probe
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THE K-POP NATIONAL YOUTH DAY EVENT
*ARE WE GETTING THE RIGHT SUMS?
Malaysiakini
K-Pop event now RM67mil: What else is gov’t hiding?’
The total bill for the Youth and Sports Ministry’s 2012 Youth Day event appears to be endlessly ballooning, from RM55 million in June to RM67.61 million now.
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said this based on the latest Auditor General’s Report revelation of yet another RM12.61 million that had been spent on an “assistance programme”.
Sim in June called on Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to explain how the original bill of RM15.2 million for the event, which featured the notorious K-Pop concert, ended up ringing up RM55 million.
“It seems that wasn’t the whole story. According to the Auditor General’s Report, the ministry spent RM12.61 million on an assistance programme.
“The funds were channelled to the organiser of the 2012 Youth Day through sports bodies such as the Malaysian Youth Council (Feedback report on key issues, para 16.5.2.5.f on page 183),” said Sim.
He pointed out that report also noted that because of this act “the total actual expenditure of the 2012 Youth Day as reported by the Ministry was under reported”.
‘K-Pop event now RM67mil: What else is gov’t hiding?’
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*WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH? Is it the former Minister, Ahmad Shabery Cheek, or the current Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin?
LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH!
The Youth and Sports Ministry spent RM1.6 million to bring in three South Korean pop groups for the National Youth Day celebrations last year, in contrast to the claim that the cost was sponsored.
Ahmad Shabery Cheek, who is now communication and multimedia minister, described the department as being “culas” (not diligent) in checking the facts.
In a Facebook posting, he conceded that the Youth and Sports Ministry had paid RM1.6 million for a K-Pop concert in conjunction with the National Youth Day 2012 celebration.
However, Shabery said the money came from sponsors.
Taking the Audit Department to task, the minister noted that it did not include the money from sponsors which was banked into the National Sports Council’s account.
“The auditors only looked at the amount that came out of the ministry’s account,” he added.
Shabery said the ministry received RM20 million from domestic and foreign corporate sponsors for the celebration.
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Contrary to Shabery’s claim, his successor Khairy Jamaluddin yesterday said the Youth and Sports Ministry was forced to pick up the tab because the sponsors withdrew.
Minister claims Audit Dept’s K-Pop report out of tune
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