The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) said Terengganu excels by publishing detailed spending data all the way down to the programme level, allowing for comprehensive public scrutiny.

Similarly, the report said Selangor maintains high transparency standards by consistently providing extensive data on state spending and revenue.

In contrast, Kedah and Pahang rank the lowest, each scoring just 18%.

The report said Kedah fails to make its executive budget proposal publicly accessible and offers limited overall budget data, affecting its transparency score.

IDEAS said Pahang’s transparency is also lacking, with incomplete budget documents and only the budget speech available, without a comprehensive archive.

IDEAS CEO Tricia Yeoh said budget transparency ensures that state governments are open to scrutiny over their spending of public funds, while at the same time promoting fairness and equity.

She added that clear and comprehensive information about the management of public funds builds confidence in government institutions.

“A lot of attention is given to the prime minister tabling the national budget every year in Parliament.

“Yet little attention is given to state-level budgets, which are equally important, if not more so, because they are closest to what happens on the ground,” she said at the launch of MyOBI 2024.

She encouraged state governments to publish all financial documents in a timely manner, particularly the estimates of revenue and expenditure.

“When state governments publish detailed and timely budget documents, it becomes easier to track their public spending and revenue,” she said.

The findings were discussed in meetings and detailed further at www.pantauwangkita.com, which provides the comprehensive methodology and scoring information for public reference.