SHAH ALAM, September 26th: The Central Government was criticised for snubbing the National Council of Professors, and instead giving RM20.56 million to foreign firms to produce the Education Development Plan (PPPM).
The President of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (MAPIM), Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid, questioned why was the firm McKinsey selected, whilst MPN has gathered hundreds of scholars with expertise in various fields.
“Is their knowledge too inferior for them to become the thinkers who chart plans for this country’s education system, that we need outsiders’ assistance to perform this task instead?” said Mohd Azmi in a media statement.
Mohd Azmi said the federal government should be rational in selecting and approving consultation services, particularly those that involve foreign consultation companies.
“We urge the government to stop this practice. The appointment of consultants that involve government projects and services should be prioritised to local companies.
“This must be done in a transparent manner and strictly regulated to prevent fraud and waste of public money,” he said.
Meanwhile, Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming and Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari said the act of taking foreign firms proves that the Minister lacks confidence in their own experts and officials to carry out the task.
“Why did the Ministry feel the need to hire McKinsey consultants with a total of RM20 million? Is this justified?” they asked in a joint statement.
In their explanation, McKinsey’s true contributions – who is not even an expert in the field of education – were not clear as they were not listed in the PPPM report.
“If McKinsey is not accounted for in terms of input, is their true purpose only for producing reports simply?
“It seems clear that McKinsey consultants are not necessary, not only in terms of input but also in terms of preparations of the report,” said Mohd Azmi.
