Govt yet to decide on professors council's status, says Fahmi

The government has yet to decide on the status of the National Professors Council (NPC) following recommendations by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to consider its relevance.

However, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had previously issued a stern warning on the management of certain bodies.

“This matter was not discussed in the cabinet meeting, but previously, the prime minister had given a stern warning about the way some matters were managed.

“But there is no final word yet or, at least in recent meetings it has not been raised,” the communications minister said at a weekly press conference in Putrajaya.

He said this when asked whether or not the NPC would be maintained following the proposal put forward by the PAC.

Yesterday, the PAC identified several concerns including the inability to determine NPC’s effectiveness and functions.

“This is because the key performance indicators (KPIs) were not established or reported to the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD), and funds were misallocated, with money not being channelled to the relevant chapters.

“As a result, NPC’s activities have not been carried out in line with its founding objectives in 2014,” said PAC chairperson Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

Mas Ermieyati also noted that the PMD has not fully monitored the NPC since Nov 8, 2021, which has led to several irregularities in its management.

In July, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Musfata announced that the government would reassess the NPC’s status following findings in the Auditor-General’s Report, which revealed that the NPC had used RM373,516 to fund two companies owned by members of its board of trustees.

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COMMENT | What exactly does the professors' council do?