Public Money

How allocations are set, moved and reported — and how to read them yourself.

Public Money

How to read an Auditor-General's report without getting lost in the annexes

The office's reports follow a consistent structure once a reader knows where each finding sits and what each status marker means.

Suhaila Merican · 20 July 2026

Public Money

The federal budget cycle, from ceiling to line item

A single year's budget passes through five distinct stages before a ringgit reaches a project, and only some of those stages leave a document a reader can follow directly.

Suhaila Merican · 6 July 2026

Public Money

Development allocation and development spend are two different numbers

A project's approved budget and what actually leaves the treasury for it rarely match in a given year, and the gap between them is routine rather than remarkable on its own.

Amirul Sabri · 22 June 2026

Public Money

Direct negotiation and open tender leave very different paper trails

Both are legitimate procurement routes, but each publishes a different set of documents, and knowing which route a contract used tells a reader what to ask for.

Danial Rashid · 5 June 2026