KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 — The government has formed a council comprising ministers and business leaders to tackle the economy and arrest the rising cost of living.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the Economic Action Council’s main objective was to stimulate economic growth and to improve equal distribution of wealth, as well as to look at issues related to the cost of living, human resource, poverty, and home ownership.
“This council was formed to respond to the people’s concerns about the problems they face, particularly the economy,” said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.
The Economic Action Council will be headed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It comprises Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darell Leiking, and Works Minister Baru Bian from the Cabinet.
The council also includes the prime minister’s economic adviser Muhammed Abdul Khalid, former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Permodalan Nasional Berhad chairman Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Council of Eminent Persons member Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Public Bank managing director Tan Sri Tay Ah Lek, Majlis Amanah Rakyat chairman Hasnita Hashim, Bursa Malaysia chairman Datuk Shireen Ann Zaharah Muhiudeen, Asean Business Advisory Council chairman Tan Sri Mohd Munir Abdul Majid, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association CEO Datuk Paul Selvaraj, lawyer Bah Tony @ Amani William Hunt Abdullah, and Institut MASA director Nizam Mahshar.
