Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) is carrying out operations as normal despite media reports stating Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad plans to abolish it.

Chief executive officer Ashran Gazi said the agency has checked with the Ministry of Finance and was told that nothing had changed.

“Even after May 9, it was business as usual and nothing has changed in regards to this. We were told to run our programmes usual, and that is what we are doing today,” he told reporters at the launch of the MaGIC Global Accelerator Programme officiated by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng today.

Ashran said the agency, with its 70 staff, is currently engaging with 900 local startup companies and does not require additional grants from the government to run programmes.

“On average, our allocation from the government is RM50 million annually and since 2014 about RM197 million has been spent,” he added.

-- Bernama