Economic specialists appointed to Parliament select committee

A total of 15 academicians in the field of economics from public universities and private institutions of higher learning have been appointed as experts to the 15th Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Finance and Economy.

Parliament, in a statement today, said the experts would be responsible for giving advice and referral services to the select committee on economic and finance-related matters.

Those appointed included Malaysian Inclusive Development and Advancement Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia director Prof Noor Azlan Ghazali; Institute for Poverty Research and Management, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan director Prof Wan Ahmad Amir Zal Wan Ismail; dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Prof Aini Aman; and head of School of Economics University of Nottingham Malaysia Teo Wing Leong.

The experts received their letters of appointment at an event officiated by Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul, Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin and select committee chairperson Mohd Shahar Abdullah today.

The recipients of the letters were recommended by the Academic Excellence Division, Department of Higher Education, Higher Education Ministry based on their vast experience in the fields of finance and economics, investment and international trade, global value chains, economic development, and econometrics.

The statement said Johari hoped that the select committee’s role would be further empowered through the advice and opinions given by the experts.

“The select committee is one of the mechanisms of the legislative body that is significant and complementary to the executive body. This is in line with the empowerment of legislative instruments which is one of the important agendas in parliamentary reform,” he said.

Johari said the collaborative initiative between the Malaysian Parliament and the Higher Education Ministry would hopefully increase the effectiveness and authority of special select committees in carrying out the check and balance process against the executive.

The Dewan Rakyat has formed 10 Parliamentary Special Select Committees for the 15th parliamentary session as a check and balance mechanism and to help improve the ministries’ functions, in addition to finding common solutions to issues of the people’s interest as well as bringing motions for further discussion and debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

- Bernama