Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has appointed a 'council of elders' comprising eminent persons who will serve as advisors to the government.

In a press conference today, he listed the former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Petronas president Mohd Hassan Merican, tycoon Robert Kuok, and economist Jomo Kwame Sundaram as members of the council.

“Many of us have little or no experience in running a government. We need some expertise on this. 

“Of course, expertise must come from people with knowledge or previous knowledge of administration, or being in the government, or having held some responsible post. 

“(That is why) we have decided to set up a council of elders, or rather a council of eminent persons,” Mahathir said in a press conference at the Bersatu headquarters today. 

This council will conduct studies and prepare papers for the cabinet, he added, while ministries are being set up. 

It will also assist the new government in implementing its 100-day promises in its manifesto, and is expected to last for approximately the same duration. 

“Eventually the papers for the cabinet will be prepared by the ministries, but in the interim, before we have proper ministries going, we need to do investigations into a lot of things. 

“Some of these things may involve the ministries and the personnel themselves, so we need people who are not involved to be vetting and studying reports made, either by the ministries or by certain bodies which we will consult,” Mahathir explained. 

Earlier in the press conference, he announced the ministers for finance, defence and home affairs. 

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was announced as the finance minister, while the presidents of Amanah and Bersatu, Mohamad Sabu and Muhyiddin Yassin, were announced for the defence and home affairs portfolios respectively.