Umno calls for dissolution of CEP

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno yesterday called for the dissolution of the Council of Eminent Persons ( CEP) set up by the Pakatan Harapan government, saying its existence is no longer appropriate as a full Cabinet had been established.

Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the CEP report of recommendations should also be tabled in Parliament and made public to ensure transparency.

The CEP was set up to advise the government during the initial stage of its formation, especially before the formation of the full Cabinet and the first sitting of the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.

“Now, all have taken place, and the PM ( Prime Minister) has a formidable Cabinet, comprising the senior leaders of five parties, some of whom have been in politics for a long time.

“Based on the principle of joint responsibility with the Cabinet, I feel it is no longer appropriate for the CEP to exist and the Cabinet should function accordingly,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He said the CEP had no legal and constitutional legitimacy and was not part of the legislative, executive and judiciary, and would certainly impede the system of parliamentary democracy.

The dissolution was also necessary, he said, not because of the cost factor but because almost all the members had interest in the government and there would be a conflict of interest.

Yesterday, CEP chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin announced that the council had completed its mandate and a report of its recommendations would be submitted to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when the prime minister returned from his visit to China.

Besides Daim, the other CEP members are former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, business tycoon Robert Kuok and economist Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram. — Bernama