KUALA LUMPUR – The average cost for organising the Khazanah Megatrends Forum (KMF) was RM3.18 million per year from 2008 to 2021, said Deputy Finance Minister Shahar Abdullah (Paya Besar-BN).
He said although the expenses incurred was quite big, the impact produced by the forum was clear.
“The benefits of organising KMF cannot be measured in ringgit terms as the gains derived far outweigh the organisational cost incurred,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a question from Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu-Pejuang) on the amount spent and the overall KMF organising cost and the forum’s effect on the Malaysian socioeconomic landscape, especially in regard to reducing the income gap among people.
On the average organising cost of more than RM3 million, Shahar said the KMF featured leading thinkers in various fields from all over the world without having to pay them.
However, organising costs for the KMF like event manager fees, logistics, food and beverage, accommodation and other general expenses (including operation and information technology systems) were fully borne by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, he said.
Regarding its impact on the Malaysian socioeconomic landscape, Shahar said, as KMF was a platform for knowledge sharing, such an effect was difficult to be gauged accurately.
“Nevertheless, a major portion of discussions at KMF were related to social issues affecting every strata of society, by identifying and understanding problems at the macro level first before scrutinising these issues with the aim of resolving them and improving efforts to generate growth and development for the community,” he said.
Asked by Datuk Mohd Nizar Zakaria (Parit-BN) whether the government considered proposals by local research institutions, Shahar said the findings of Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) had been adopted by the government.
For example, as a result of discussions at several forums held previously on the issue of inequity, KRI was given the responsibility to conduct further studies related to those problems.
Following that, KRI has since published various research findings on inequity – apart from recommending ways to overcome this problem through efforts to increase household income.
“When KMF held knowledge-sharing events, they suggested the creation of a research institute named KRI, and whatever planning, action and policies undertaken by the government will be considered by KRI to conduct research on their impact and effects on the people,” he said. – Bernama, December 6, 2021
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