Scrapping MPN will jeopardise economic recovery, warns member

 

National Recovery Council member Hartini Zainuddin said efforts to restore the country post-Covid-19 were expected to take at least 10 years.

KUALA LUMPUR: Calls for the National Recovery Council (MPN) to be disbanded will be a setback to the government’s efforts to revive the national economy post-Covid-19.

MPN member Hartini Zainuddin said the council had been playing its role by putting forward proposals as well as complementing various government initiatives.

“The key performance indicators (KPIs) of MPN are to ensure that we do the best in complementing other initiatives by the government.

“Everybody has a role to play and everyone is moving to make sure we recover quickly.

“We have made suggestions as to when the borders should open and we are looking at tourism, economy and many other things.

“We’ve divided our efforts to focus on the economy, education, and small and mid-size enterprises,” she told a media conference.

Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had before this called for the MPN to be abolished, saying that its functions were unclear and unneeded.

Zahid, who is also Umno president, said MPN’s functions overlapped the roles played by think tanks and other government agencies that acted as advisers and implementation bodies.

Hartini, however, said efforts to restore the country post-Covid-19 were expected to take as long as10 years and this task could prove difficult if it is only carried out by a single body, regardless of whether it was a political party or an organisation. - FMT