ACADEMICS lauded the establishment of the Economic Action Council (EAC) comprising 16 prominent individuals and helmed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed, saying it is well placed to address issues concerning the wellbeing of the people.

Economics and Business senior professor Dr Shazali Abu Mansor said the EAC is better represented compared with the Council of Eminent Persons and has less possibility of going wrong.

“Most are successful people with proven track records and the composition (of the EAC) includes a considerable number of non-politicians.

“Hopefully these people can help the government to attain its promised manifesto as the rakyat are watching on this matter now,” he told Bernama today.

Shazali said the composition of the EAC would give the people more confidence that their issues would be addressed.

“Hopefully, new ideas to address these issues affecting the well-being of the rakyat can be generated by the council members, and a platform can be created for ideas and feedback from the public,” he said.

Economics profession Dr Yeah Kim Leng of Sunway University Business School said the council was a smaller version of the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) and could be likened to an expanded CEP. 

“It is timely to have the new council to give birth to a new economic direction, policies and strategies under the nine-month-old government.

“More importantly, this should culminate in an action plan that will be widely disseminated, as was done by the previous NEAC, and not kept under wraps like the recent CEP report.” – Bernama, February 11, 2019.