Make CEP report public, says G25
PETALING JAYA: Moderates are pressing for the Council of Eminent Persons’ (CEP) 100-day report to be made public.
The G25 group of eminent Malays said the Pakatan Harapan government should heed the call made by CEP chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin.
“In line with Pakatan’s emphasis on transparency, the G25 group feels the CEP report should be made public,” said Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin group member.
On Tuesday, Daim called on the government to make public the CEP’s recommendations.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad earlier said the CEP’s recommendations may not be made public as it was for the government to base its decisions on.
Noor Farida said the G25 surmised Dr Mahathir did not want to make the report public because “some aspects may be sensitive”.
“But he has to trust the people’s maturity,” she added.
Moderation advocate Mohamed Tawfik Ismail said that he was equally curious about the report.
“I would like to know what will be uncovered. Rumours are different from the actual situation.
“Many actions taken by the government since May 9 have to be seen in the context of implementation and recommendations made by the CEP,” he said in an interview.
By revealing the report, Tawfik said the people would be able to tell if the government adhered to the recommendations, and why if not.
The former Sungai Benut MP however said the final decision waswith Dr Mahathir, who formed the CEP and appointed its members.
Most readers of The Star Online (TSOL) also supported the call for the report to be made public.
Chew Chun Kang wrote on TSOL’s Facebook page that he supported Daim’s call, saying: “We need to know what proposals have been rejected and why.
“We want to make sure their proposals are not brushed aside without justification.”
Jack Jagjit agreed, writing: “We want to know what the previous government was up to.”
Kaseh Purnama echoed the call, but warned the public should be ready to accept the report’s contents.
Iskander Lazarus commended Daim’s boldness, adding that the contents should not be tampered.
He also claimed that the reason Dr Mahathir was against making the report public could be due to findings related to his children’s alleged corruption and allotment of government projects.
George Tay claimed that Dr Mahathir did not want the report revealed because it could “jeopardise his third national car ambition”.
Daim, who made the call in an interview with Channel News Asia, said the CEP interviewed more than 300 individuals, including bankers, businessmen, civil servants, civil society members and union officials as part of its efforts to look into the government’s finances,
The interviews, he said, had revealed a culture of turning a blind eye towards corruption.
Many actions taken by the government since May 9 have to be seen in the context of implementation and recommendations made by the CEP. Mohamed Tawfik Ismail