GEORGE TOWN, July 22 -- There should be a public audit to justify the overseas working trips taken by Penang government officials, Lim Mah Hui of a state-based social group called Penang Forum said today.

Lim called on the state Pakatan Harapan government to make transparent its working trips outside the country that use public funds.

"The government needs to give an account of the results of these trips, what was learned and adopted, what was not adopted and why, what was the cost and who went," he said in a statement.

He said the state needed to justify its objectives for all these trips and meet with a set key performance indicator (KPI).

He said there must be transparency and accountability when it comes to such trips.

"I am not ...