The access to the details of the audit report from the Yangon Region Auditor-General by the MPs is a right and that the Chief Minister cannot decide whether or not the report will be given to the MPs, said Yangon Region MP Nay Phone Latt from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

MP Nay Phone Latt representing Thingangyun Township Constituency-1 criticized it about the Public Accounts Committee’s report on findings and remarks over the Yangon Region Auditor-General’s audit report for 2017-18 fiscal year at the session of Yangon Region Parliament on January 22. 

The summary audit report for 2017-18 FY covers 111 pages. The 389-page detail report is summarized.

According to the law amending the Union Auditor-General Law issued on January 28, 2018, Section 25 (a), (c) and (d) of the Union Auditor-General Law were amended and substituted. It is found that the expression “Subsection (d): the expression “the audit report shall be submitted via the relevant region and state chief ministers” is replaced with the expression “the region/state auditors-general shall simultaneously submit their finding reports to the region/state chief ministers and region/state parliaments.” 

This amendment is a direct link between the auditor general and parliaments without the administrative body as a medium. We will welcome this amendment as it can reinforce the check and balance system which is the essence of democracy, he added. 

It is found that instead of the detail report, access to the summary report of auditor-general by the MPs goes against the provisions of the law. 

He seconded Para-579 of the Public Accounts Committee’s suggestion for the distribution of detail audit report to each MPs. He called on the parliamentary officials to carry it out in accordance with the law. 

He also suggested that the auditor general needs to submit the reports for the 2018 Mini-budget and 2018-19 FY during the current tenure of parliament. 

He fully seconded Para-580 of the Public Accounts Committee’s suggestion that the regional level bodies should reply to the committee’s report and the MPs’ discussions with the full accountability and responsibility. 

On July 1, 2019, the Region Auditor-General simultaneously submitted the audit report for 2017-19 FY to the government and parliament according to the Union Auditor-General Law. The MPs got the summary report only on 8 January, 2020.