She said the study might recommend amending the MPN’s articles of association and appointing government representatives to its board of trustees to directly monitor operations and finances.
Zaliha also clarified that MPN had never paid salaries, emoluments, or allowances to its members, including professors and associate professors.
“However, funding is provided for programmes involving their expertise, such as workshops, roundtable discussions, and other think-tank initiatives,” she said in her winding-up speech during the debate on the 2024 auditor-general’s (A-G) report released on July 4.
Emoluments totalling RM1.08 million in 2022 and RM1.84 million in 2023 were paid exclusively to the MPN secretariat and management, she added.
Last week, the 2024 A-G’s report uncovered numerous irregularities in MPN, a body which is overseen by the Prime Minister’s Department.
It revealed that two trustees misused RM373,516 of council funds to finance companies they own, without declaring their interests.
The report found that the council’s chairman and deputy chairman were paid RM207,000 in allowances without ministerial approval.
Other issues included corporate credit card payments totalling RM98,076 and advance payments of RM20,000 made without supporting documents.
River of Life project to proceed
The A-G’s report also noted that the River of Life (RoL) project, which has already been delayed by over eight years, is unlikely to be completed this year.
The RoL, which involves eight rivers located in the Klang Valley, comprises three components: river cleaning, river beautification, and commercialism and tourism.
The report made several recommendations, including for the federal territories department to evaluate whether projects which have yet to be implemented should proceed, considering the costs involved in implementation and maintenance.
The audit also identified weaknesses in terms of project governance, including planning, expenditure monitoring, design preparation, consultant appointments, and project execution.
Zaliha today said the government would continue with the RoL project – which she described as the country’s most complex and costly urban river conservation initiative – despite the A-G’s report revealing that none of the project’s objectives had been achieved.
She said out of 130 RoL projects, 81% had been completed, six were still ongoing, three had their contracts terminated and would be retendered, seven were in the pre-implementation stage, and six had been cancelled.
“The federal territories department is reviewing and improving the existing business model with the involvement of various parties,” she said.
“However, the department’s current priority is to ensure that the remaining 19% of the project is completed first, as the impact of the business model can only be assessed after the project’s full completion.”
As of December 2023, over RM3.9 billion had been spent on the RoL project against the allocated ceiling cost of RM4.36 billion.