KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Pakatan Harapan pledged today to end government contracts with Pemandu Associates and to open forensic audits on government delivery unit Pemandu Corp if it won the next general elections.

The federal Opposition pact also said it would not rely on “expensive” outside consultants, but would instead empower the civil service to do their duties with greater freedom and professionalism.

“We will run forensic audits on all expenses incurred by Pemandu Corp and BFR Institute, two companies owned 100 per cent by the Finance Ministry, including on the amounts paid to each celebrity who was invited to the Global Transformation Forum 2015 and 2017,” Pakatan Harapan leaders Ong Kian Ming (DAP), Wong Chen (PKR), Dzulkefly Ahmad (Amanah) and Rais Hussin (PPBM) said in a joint statement.

Pemandu is a unit within the Prime Minister’s Department, while BFR Institute is its development consulting arm. Under Pemandu’s transition process where it is handing over its work on the National Transformation Programme (NTP) to the civil service, all staff in Pemandu and BFR Institute will move to Pemandu Associates, a private consultancy firm established by Pemandu management and staff.

Pakatan Harapan also promised to reveal the salaries paid to each Pemandu director.

The pact accused Pemandu of lacking accountability, pointing out that Pemandu CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala had never answered any parliamentary questions about the government unit throughout his six years as a Cabinet member.

“Not only that, even though Pemandu publishes annual reports on the ETP (Economic Transformation Programme), GTP (Government Transformation Programme), and starting from 2015, the NTP, it has not tabled any of these reports in Parliament for Members of Parliament.

“It also has not published its own financial statements or informed Parliament about Pemandu’s expenses for their activities,” said Pakatan Harapan.

Malay Mail Online reported last month a World Bank Group report that said Pemandu was the largest government delivery unit in the world with over 100 staff, compared to others that comprised about six to 16 workers. A “delivery unit” is a group of people at the centre of government that helps the public sector achieve outcomes and manages implementation challenges.

The April 2017 report also noted that the cost of setting up Pemandu as a unit within the Prime Minister’s Department in 2009 included engaging international consultants, while Pemandu’s annual operating budget is about RM40 million that includes emoluments, labs, workshops and surveys.

The NTP was launched in 2010, comprising the ETP and GTP, to improve the government’s delivery system and to drive Malaysia towards high-income status by 2020.