Auditor-General Wan Suraya Wan Radzi said the efficiency and performance of the e-SelfAudit system were tested through a pilot project carried out on Nov 18, 2024, involving 206 government companies nationwide.
“All the government companies involved have submitted their feedback to the national audit department (JAN) despite the short period.
“This reflects the high level of support and commitment from all government companies towards the efforts introduced to enhance governance,” she said at the launch of the Government Company Audit Implementation here today.
The e-SelfAudit system for nearly 2,000 government companies was launched by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Wan Suraya said JAN is currently analysing the data received from the 206 government companies for further audit.
She said the confidentiality of the data obtained and uploaded to the system is protected under subsection 8(3) of the Audit Act 1957, which states that any information obtained by JAN from any party for auditing purposes directly or indirectly cannot be divulged.
“JAN officials are also subject to the Official Secrets Act 1972, and any information obtained will be securely stored in the JAN database, complying with the Cyber Security Act 2024 (Act 854), the Data Sharing Bill 2024, and JAN’s Cyber Security Policy 2022,” she added.
JAN will begin auditing nearly 2,000 government-owned companies starting this year following an allocation of RM200 million for 2025.
Anwar said the auditing, starting this year, will address several weaknesses, such as continued losses and the failure to manage and supervise the company’s operations.
During the launch, Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the audit aims to address governance issues identified in government companies, including monitoring weaknesses in the achievement of key performance indicators (KPI) reports and the company’s strategic plan.
Among other issues identified are the failure of the CEO to play a role in managing and overseeing the company’s operations, as well as continued losses at the parent company and subsidiary levels.
Anwar said significant decisions of the company, including the payment of salaries and services, are often not brought for the approval of the board of directors, affecting the integrity of management.