Sim: Reforms were initiated even before A-G report

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry had embarked on various reforms to improve governance throughout the ministry even before the audit report was completed, including within the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), says Steven Sim.

The Human Resources Minister said he was appointed to the post in December last year while the issues raised in the Auditor-General’s (A-G) report and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) were for the period from 2019 to 2023.“

In these six months, even before the audit was completed, the ministry embarked on various reforms to improve governance throughout the whole ministry.

“Within HRD Corp, among others, we had set up a new Risk Committee and a new Audit Committee to ensure better financial management.

“Tighter procedures to govern investment were also put in place. A new Strategic Initiatives Fund (SIF) was created to clearly separate levy funds. Levy funds should only be fully utilised for training purposes by employers for their employees.

“SIF is funded from profits of HRD Corp and is used to support various skills training and human capital development initiatives, for example, to assist smaller SMEs that may not have or have very limited HRD Corp levy to train their workers, and to provide skills training for vulnerable groups,” he said in a statement, BK reported.

Sim added the ministry introduced short-term measures to improve training quality and encourage higher utilisation of the levy by employers, ensuring that it be utilised as much as possible and as quickly as possible, for human capital development.

In the statement, Sim said he had instructed the ministry and HRD Corp to give full cooperation with “no holds barred” to the audit process both by the A-G and PAC when he was informed of the audit after taking over office.

He noted the immediate response by the ministry after both reports were tabled, which also saw a report filed with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission within 24 hours, showing the ministry’s aspiration for the highest level of accountability and integrity.

Sim said he had instructed ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud and HRD Corp chief executive Datuk Shahul Hameed Dawood to file the report, which he said is the first in the history of the A-G report.