The Commission of Audit (CA) has issued two new reports into the construction of the box culvert and pumping station north of the Inner Harbor as well as the financial support the Sports Bureau (ID) grants to sports competitions.
The CA has criticized the lack of communication between the former Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, now represented by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), and the former Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau, now represented by the Public Works Bureau (DSOP).
The CA has criticized the inefficiency of work on flood prevention equipment at the north section of Inner Harbor.
In the report, the CA noted IAM had failed to communicate effectively with the DSOP on the real drainage and capacity needs for the pumping station. Consequently, the solution was insufficient and ineffective for the problem.
The CA also noted the problem could worsen with the pumping station capacity and box culvert unable “ to meet demand in the long-term,” thus partially wasting public money.
The CA said the problem was due mostly to an IAM study for the design of the system, which IAM passed to the design company, which was outdated and followed standards different from those recommended for this type of system.
The audit noted the CA believed IAM had acted in a “lazy” manner.
IAM had only met the minimum legal requirements and had failed to consider its duties regarding the planning for current practical needs or the future development of the city.
The body also did not absolve DSOP from responsibility, noting it was DSOP’s duty to supervise and to ensure that current norms were being followed in the best possible way.
It noted DSOP had in its possession two reports recommending an increase of capacity but had failed to notify the IAM of them. It also did not issue any opinion when it saw the IAM adopting a lower standard.
The CA noted the problem is a serious matter and that in the last few years the resolution of the flooding problem has been mentioned in the government’s Policy Address Report.
“However, the problems verified during the present audit reveal that the public services in question were not able to carry out a good coordination and management of the works, which not only made it difficult to implement the policies and measures defined by the Macau SAR government but also prevented society’s demands from being responded to in a reasonable time,” it added.
In response, the two government departments acknowledged their responsibilities for the matter.
The IAM said it would take the opportunity of the new works underway to make adjustments that will help to correct past mistakes and minimize the impact of flooding in the Inner Harbor district on the population.
The DSOP is said to be “reinforcing the interdepartmental communication and coordination to prudently fulfill its duties and actively promote cooperative management work between services,” adding that it has already reviewed all the standards and implemented the most updated ones in accordance with the “10-Year Plan for Disaster Prevention and Reduction in Macau (2019-2028).”
ID to improve Sports Fund operation following CA report
The president of the Sports Bureau (ID), Pun Weng Kun, has said the Bureau is already dealing with the CA recommendations about the Sports Fund’s operation.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Sports Family Day 2023 event yesterday, Pun said the changes requested by the CA report should be ready to be enforced as soon as the end of this month.
In its report issued Friday, the commission slammed the ID for the Sports Fund’s operation and for several instances of non-compliance with the general rules on the distribution of public money, namely subsidies for events and other activities of local groups and sports associations.
The CA noted there was a lot of money handed to these groups and associations without proper supervision, noting aspects such as lack of at least three quotes obtained for the acquisition of goods and services as well as inaccurate currency exchanges on the acquisition of the same goods and services in other currencies, which caused damage to the public purse.
Pun said that henceforth, the ID would strictly enforce the CA’s recommendations and supervise the granting of funds through the Sports Fund. It will also introduce third-party audits namely for the cases involving large sums of public money.
