MIA supports call for more chartered accountants

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) fully supports the government’s call to increase the number of chartered accountants in the country.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop had recently called for more Bumiputera graduates to take up professional accounting programmes.

In a statement, MIA President Datuk Mohd Nasir Ahmad said: “To be in line with the Economic Transformation Programme and navigate towards becoming a high income nation, we need more accountants to drive Malaysia’s economic growth.

“Currently the Institute has slightly over 28,000 registered chartered accountants in business and commerce, public practice, public sector and academia. It would be good to see more Bumiputera chartered accountants, as currently they constitute only 28% of the total membership.”

The MIA is the national accountancy body that regulates, develops, supports and enhances the integrity, status and interest of the profession in Malaysia.

Nasir said that the MIA had in place initiatives and proactive measures to encourage the growth in membership of chartered accountants in Malaysia.

“The membership drive in the MIA encompasses the creation of awareness among companies and corporate organisations, university graduates and the members of the general public,” he added.

The MIA organises visits to companies and corporate organisations to promote and encourage employers to register their employees as its members.

This means that the employer will give the support and benefit to its employees to pursue a professional qualification in accounting.

The second component involves accounting graduates, whereby the MIA has in place the Chartered Accountants Relevant Experience (Care) programme.

The programme sets out a range of competencies that need to be obtained before qualifying as a chartered accountant.

It is also a systemic assessment programme which monitors the working experience of fresh accounting graduates for three years, from the day they register as Care participants.

To date the Care programme has successfully recruited 865 members since its inception in 2009.

The MIA also conducts the MIA Qualifying Examination as an alternative pathway for accounting, business and finance graduates who do not possess the required qualification as stated in the Accountants Act, 1967, to qualify as chartered accountants.

This initiative was introduced in 2003 to enable more individuals to become qualified chartered accountants in Malaysia. — Bernama