Cold fact: Cost of MB’s Antartica trip borne by foundation under MOSTI
(Fz) – The yet to be known costs of the delegation heading to Antarctica is being borne ‘solely’ by the Sultan Mizan Antarctica Research Foundation (YPASM) which falls under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).
According to the ministry’s organisation chart is directly in charge of YPASM.
A source from the Terengganu Mentri Besar’s office said the cost of the 15-day expedition to the Antarctica would be borne by the YPASM.
“But the cost was not revealed to us,” he told fz.com in a phone interview.
Asked where the foundation’s funds came from, the source revealed “it was from contributors”.
According to news reports, the YPASM was incorporated as a company with limited guarantee on July 18, 2012.
During the launch, the federal government approved a RM10 million launching grant and a matching grant of up to RM500,000 a year for the Foundation to carry out its programmes and activities.
The Terengganu state government had also pledged RM2 million, while Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) pledged RM100,000 and RM50,000, respectively, to YPASM.
The delegation consists of eight individuals, the source said, of which three would be from Terengganu. The three would be Ahmad Said, Prof Datuk Dr Aziz Deraman from the Science and Technology Faculty University Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and the state’s senior secretary.
The source also revealed that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was about to be signed between YPASM and Instituto Antartico Chileno (INACH) was to set up a research station in Antarctica with Chile.
(INACH is a technical organisation of the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs with complete autonomy in scientific, technical and outreach Antarctic activities. It is the national institution responsible for planning, co-ordinating, directing and controlling officially authorised scientific and technological activities of the Chilean government and private organisations in Antarctica. INACH also organises and leads its own expeditions and maintains scientific stations in the Antarctic.)
