AUDIT REPORT The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) must plan carefully the procurement of the equipment to meet its needs so that the usage could be optimised to avoid wastage.

According to the second series of the 2013 Auditor-General’s Report released in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, the audit showed that the board’s management of the research and commercial equipment was not encouraging.



“There is no coordination in the procurement of the equipment and the construction of the Centre to Process Concentrated Latex which will house the equipment.

“The project to build the centre only started in May 2013 and is expected to be ready by November 2014. However, the procurement of the equipment has been made in 2009,” said the report.

Also, 15 components of the equipment, worth RM9.94 million, which were bought between 1990 and 2010, were not used between one and 15 months before the audit exercise, it said.



According to the report, the equipment were not maintained according to schedule and this has resulted in them always breaking down and made not usable.

The report said the Asset Management Committee of MRB did not frequently meet.

“In 2009, it only met three times and there were none in 2012,” it said.

The report has recommended various actions to MRB to improve the situation. Among them was that the board needed to monitor the condition of the equipment under its control, especially those not used yet and stored in the premises of its suppliers.

“Prompt corrective actions are needed regarding the spoilt and non-functional equipment.” it said.

The board must undertake ‘corrective’ and ‘preventive’ actions to ensure that the equipment were in good condition, it said.

- Bernama