Up to govt whether findings be made public, says CEP chairman

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 20): The Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) said it is the Government's prerogative on whether or not to share the council’s recommendations on economic and institutional reforms that it concluded yesterday.

“It is up to the Government whether CEP’s recommendations will be shared with the public,” its council chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin (pictured) told a press conference on the CEP’s progress over its 100-day tenure here today.

He, however, “certainly hopes” that the Government will make the report public.

The five-member council, said Daim, will submit its report to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after he returns from his five-day visit to China, which is scheduled to end tomorrow (Aug 21).

The CEP, formed on May 12, is tasked with the mandate to review the nation’s economy and Government institutions, and to advise the Government on how they can be improved.

During its tenure, the CEP was assisted by two committees — one institutional reforms committee (IRC) and another on 1MDB-related issues.

Daim said the council has finalised the report after meeting with 200 organisations comprising stakeholders of the country within the 100-day period.

It is unclear how many recommendations were provided in the report.

To put things in perspective, the IRC — which is only involved in institutional reforms — has received about 1,000 suggestions from the public and it has provided at least 256 recommendations to the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption (JKKMAR) alone.

While Daim did not disclose the exact number of recommendations, he noted that they can be categorised into three key themes.

“They revolved around the need to improve governance, the well-being of the rakyat, and the need to ensure that the economy is inclusive and sustainable."