The Federal Territory Former Elected Representatives Council (Mubarak) today expressed disappointment over the proposal for a blanket ban on the appointment of politicians to head government- linked companies (GLCs).

Its secretary Abdul Rahman Sulaiman described the proposal as not only naive but also an insult to politicians who he said were widely experienced, with some among them having outstanding academic qualifications.

NONE Abdul Rahman was responding to the proposal by National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) member Zainal Aznam Yusof (right) at a forum last Tuesday that real reform could only be achieved if there was a blanket ban on the appointment of politicians to head GLCs.

Abdul Rahman said the FT Mubarak committee, at an extraordinary meeting today, expressed full support to the stand of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak that the government was not bound by any policy in the appointment of individuals to head GLCs.

He also said that some former politicians had not only high academic qualifications, such as MBA and PhD, but also wide experience in the administrative, economic and corporate fields.

"We feel that the appointment of qualified former politicians to positions in GLCs is not only appropriate but is also consistent with the original intention of setting up GLCs," he said.

He said the philosophy behind the setting up of GLCs was to assist the government implement certain policies, including to enhance bumiputera economic performance.

Abdul Rahman said that usually politicians heading any agency would be able to use their experience to harness the aspirations of the people in the implementation of government policies through the activities of the GLC.

In this way, any conflict in handling the GLC's activities and government policies as well as the people's aspirations, so often raised by the people from time to time, could be averted, he said.

- Bernama