It has been said that public servants have what we call the "iron rice bowls." Probably because of their well protected environment, government officials are beginning to get more and more indifferent to public woes as well as insensitive to price fluctuations.

This is best proven from the Auditor-General's reports year after year.

The 2006 AG's report pointed out that when the youth and sports ministry was procuring equipment for the national youth technical institute, it paid RM5,471 for a car hoist worth nothing more than RM50, and RM224 for a set of screwdrivers worth RM32.

In the 2008 report, when the human resources ministry was procuring equipment for the technical training centre, it paid RM30,510 for a stud platform device worth only RM990, a mark-up of 2,981.8%!

All these stunning facts are but just the tip of the iceberg in the AG's report. If the officials involved have not been corrupt or abusing their power, then they must have not done their homework well, misused the public funds and squandered the taxpayers' money.

These things are not new each year the AG's report is released. But the really gruesome thing is not that the officials have not done their homework, or mismanaged or gobble up public funds, but that the authorities have allowed the same old problems to repeat year after year.

Misappropriation of public funds, severe losses on government investments, and repeated delays or irregularities involving major government projects have become "regular issues" in the AG's reports.

The annual reports have always received widespread media coverage, powerful backlash from the opposition, as well as heated discussions among the public. And then things will get back to normal. No one has been dealt with, and no one has been made to assume responsibility and resign.

Many say the country is not going to be the same after the 2008 general elections. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has aggressively pushed ahead his reform agendas, from government departments to UMNO, from setting KPIs to abolishing nomination quotas for party elections. All these have pointed to the fact that the PM is indeed going to put people first, and earn his support from his own performance.

So much has been said, but what the people want to see is some pragmatic actions. If we begin with the findings in the AG's report, bring all those responsible for the irregularities to book, perhaps we will let the people see the sincerity of the government in implementing the reforms while warning the public servants not to cross the line.