Public-funded bodies should avoid ‘excesses’, not mimic private firms, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded public-funded organisations not to operate like private entities in the implementation of their programmes and operations.

The Prime Minister said this is to ensure there are no “excesses” that lean towards business interests, board members, or management.

At the same time, the Prime Minister supported recommendations in the Auditor-General’s reports for more thorough and careful monitoring, aiming to embed this as a new culture within the work ecosystem to improve governance.

“We must accept that organisations like MRANTI (Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation) under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry are founded on public funds.

“Therefore, in ensuring the implementation of programmes, we want to make sure there are no excesses in focus, and these organisations should not be treated the same as private entities, which sometimes prioritise not only business but also the interests of their board members and management,” he said.

He said this when opening the Malaysia Commercialisation Year Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) on Monday (Aug 12), which was also attended by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang and his deputy Datuk Mohamad Yusof Apdal.

Anwar added that management should not be bound by fixed procedures and frameworks but should be ready to explore new areas of expertise.

“Our greatness is not just compared to last year or 10 years ago. Our greatness is measured against what has been achieved by other countries, whether neighbouring countries or others,” he said. – Bernama