COMMENT | People have right to know the contents of govt deals

COMMENT | Transparency and accountability are the backbones of good governance. That is why the finance minister annually presents the income and expenditure for the incoming year which is often referred to as the Budget Speech.

In between, the government enters into agreements for the procurement of goods or services or the disposal of assets, details of which are supposed to be put in the public domain for the benefit of taxpayers.

The absence of such information gives detractors and critics to make all kinds of claims, accusations and allegations that there had been malpractices. Unless these charges are substantiated or proven, they remain so until proven otherwise.

Over the years, the government has been accused of hanky-panky in government purchase and the biggest of them has been the expenditure incurred in the purchase of two submarines for the Royal Malaysian Navy.

The government has yet to be cleared of questionable conduct in this and...