KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recommended that the Prime Minister's Department assesses the relevance of the National Professors Council (MPN) as a key driver of academic expertise in supporting the government's national development efforts.
PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin suggested that if the government opts to maintain MPN as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLBG), it should fall under the Higher Education Ministry, due to its function and role.
"Following this recommendation, the department needs to update PAC on the government's decision regarding MPN’s status, whether it remains a CLBG agency under the government or otherwise, in the follow-up proceedings," she said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Thursday (Nov 6).
The Auditor-General's Report series 2/2024 highlighted financial mismanagement by MPN and unsatisfactory corporate governance practices.
The report revealed that MPN made payments totalling RM207,000 in fixed allowances to the chairman and deputy chairman without the responsible minister's approval.
Mas Ermieyati noted that MPN's effectiveness and function to the government could not be verified, while its activities did not align with its founding objectives.
The issue, she stated, stemmed partly from undefined key performance indicators (KPIs) and the absence of reports to the Prime Minister's Department, as well as funds not being allocated to the clusters/chapters.
Established in 2010, MPN aimed to utilise the expertise of experienced academic professionals to aid government development initiatives and was initially positioned under Higher Education Ministry.
It was moved to the Prime Minister's Department on March 21, 2014, and incorporated under the Companies Act 1965 as a CLBG to operate independently and autonomously, allowing it to work across ministerial boundaries.
However, in 2018, the think tank was removed from the department's oversight before the government announced MPN's re-recognition as an agency under the Prime Minister's Department on Nov 8, 2021. – Bernama
