Ahmad said the ministry plans to table a specific law on procurement next year, which will cover tenders for government contracts.
“The (proposed) Government Procurement Act is expected to be tabled in the second quarter of 2024.
“Therefore, there is no need to include matters related to tenders in this bill,” he told the Dewan Rakyat in his winding-up speech.
Earlier today, Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) said that open tender requirements should be part and parcel of the bill to minimise the risk of major financial scandals.
“I fully support this bill because it will prevent major scandals like 1MDB and Jana Wibawa, but if open tender is not included then it will impact attempts to achieve fiscal responsibility,” the former finance minister said.
He said passing the bill will also prove that the “reformasi” agenda lives on.
The bill was first drawn up in 2018 when Pakatan Harapan took over after the general election but the next government did not continue it.
“Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which made the then government spend RM500 billion. Following which, the prime minister said the country was out of money.
“This is why it is important to have this bill, because it will prevent the government from going bankrupt,” said Lim.
Meanwhile, Ahmad said there would be no changes for now to the composition of the fiscal policy committee, which is chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“We will continue with (the current composition) for a year or two, if any changes are made (it will be done after that),” he said.
Ahmad said the other ministers would also present their views on fiscal policies at Cabinet meetings, allowing for holistic decisions.
Earlier, Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) said the current committee does not add any value to the government as it is headed by Anwar, who also chairs Cabinet meetings.
Revamping the committee’s composition would ensure that the panel would be able to offer its own proposals for the government’s evaluation, thus leading to “more holistic” decision-making, said the former minister.
Besides Anwar, the committee also comprises deputy prime ministers Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof, as well as economy minister Rafizi Ramli.