NATIONAL Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang said the autonomy, supervision and executive powers of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board (PHEB) would be under the Penang government after a restructuring exercise placed the board under his ministry.

He said the administration of the board has been under the state government since independence, and its chairman has been appointed by the state executive council, with the consent of the Penang ruler.

“The federal government, through the National Unity Ministry, will only monitor the board under the Ministerial Functions Act 1969 and present its annual reports and financial statements to the cabinet and parliament,” he said in a statement today.

The ministries involved in presenting the board’s reports previously included the National Unity and Community Development Ministry (2000 to 2005), the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (2005 to 2014), the Prime Minister’s Department and the Human Resources Ministry.

The statutory board was set up on January 1, 1906, to administer, maintain and supervise Hindu endowments given for religious and welfare purposes, including education, as well as to manage its property and temples in Penang.

The restructuring of government agencies was part of the cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently, with the board’s transfer as well as that of the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit, from the Prime Minister’s Department to the National Unity Ministry. – Bernama, January 6, 2024.