‘MARA WON’T BE CARVED UP’
Agency’s finances to be handled by Economic Affairs Ministry, says Azmin
MAJLIS Amanah Rakyat (Mara) will not be “carved up”, and its financial management will be handled by the Economic Affairs Ministry.
Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said the government would continue to uphold Mara’s role as an agency to help the people, especially the Bumiputeras.
“There is no question of Mara being split up, this is absolutely untrue.
“I hope that all members of parliament will relay this message to those outside.”
Azmin said this when winding up the Supply (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) Bill 2018 and the Supplementary Development Expenditure (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) 2018 motion in Parliament yesterday.
Mara, set up in 1956, was the subject of controversy following reports that the agency could be revamped and split up among various ministries.
Datuk Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong) had asked the government to clarify the allocations for Mara, including a RM2.1 billion allocation and management expenditure for Mara Junior Science College.
“If the allocation was gleaned from other sources and placed in the (Economic Affairs) ministry, then this has to be explained.
“For example, (an explanation is needed on) the rural economic empowerment programme in place when Mara was under the Rural Development Ministry,” she said. In response, Azmin said after Pakatan Harapan took over the government, one of the suggestions made by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was to unify several agencies under a single ministry.
Azmin explained that since the Economic Affairs Ministry was newly established, it needed allocations to continue programmes in place, including the agenda to uplift the Bumiputeras’ socio-economy.
“This necessitated a reallocation of funds for the ministry to enable it to manage and develop (these initiatives),” he said.
Earlier, during the debate, Datuk Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) had claimed that Mara was being diracik-racik (carved up) and divided among different ministries.
He proposed that a decision be made on which ministry would handle Mara.