This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on October 16, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: The decision on whether to disclose the Council of Eminent Persons’ (CEP) final report to the public can only be made after the report is fully reviewed by the government, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In a written reply to Lim Kit Siang (Pakatan Harapan-Iskandar Puteri) yesterday, Dr Mahathir reiterated that the CEP’s views are not subject to the consideration of the cabinet or Parliament.

“The main purpose of setting up the council is to advise the government in the economic and financial fields and also other fields that should be given attention depending on the situation from time to time. The CEP only acts as an advisory body which does not have any power or allocations under the Constitution or the nation’s laws,” said Dr Mahathir.

“This means the government is absolutely not bound to adopt any recommendations submitted by the CEP,” he added in a reply to Kit Siang’s question as to when the government intends to present the final report to Dewan Rakyat for further discussions. The council, said Dr Mahathir, was set up on May 12 and completed its tasks on Aug 19. The final report, he said, is still being deliberated by the government.

The CEP is chaired by former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin. The other members are former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Petronas president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Merican, business tycoon Tan Sri Robert Kuok Hock Nien and economist Professor Dr Jomo Kwame Sundaram.

On Aug 27, Jomo said the CEP report was not being written with the intention of getting it published, citing sensitive content and suggestions.

The CEP was initially meant to be dissolved upon the end of its 100-day service, Dr Mahathir said on May 12. However, he backtracked on Aug 24, saying Daim will continue to head the CEP. On Sept 11, Daim confirmed that the council still exists, except it no longer has weekly meetings.