YOURSAY 'If Nedim is doing work in Nazri's constituency of Padang Rengas, then his name should not be on the ministry staff list but the service centre's.'

Nazri's son now his aide for Padang Rengas

Lim Chong Leong: If Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz's son Muhammad Nedim Nazri is doing work for his father's constituency of Padang Rengas, then his name should not be on the ministry staff list but on the MP's parliamentary service centre list.

Nazri may as well list all the maids in his house as ministry officers, and that too would presumably be his unquestionable prerogative.

And another thing that is really sad is the sudden emergence of the two window-dressing Indian and Chinese officers in the ministry's revised list.

Ex-Perakian: Come on, surely Nazri can do a better whitewash job that just changing the title of his son. Why are his aides for his constituency parked in the Tourism Ministry? Shouldn't they be at his service centre in Padang Rengas?

Poor son, exiled to the boondocks? But removal of his name entirely from the Tourism Ministry staff listing would be an admission of guilt, right?

Ozzie Jo : If Nedim has an official Tourism Ministry email address, it is deemed that he is an official representative of the ministry, regardless of what his father or anyone says.

If he is just working for his dad in the latter's capacity as MP for Padang Rengas and as a private individual, why is he being listed in the Tourism Ministry's directory?

You can change his title for all you like and it doesn't matter if he is under the payroll of the ministry or not. The fact that he carries an official ministry email address clearly means he may be given the right to conduct business up to the delegated authority of someone at his level.

So no questions about it - Nedim works for, speaks for, the ministry.

Daniel: If these aides have the ministry email address, does it mean that they have access to the ministry's computer system and perhaps confidential files and information as well? Does it also mean that they have access to the ministry's equipment and other resources?

Why would an MP's aide be listed in a government ministry's website? There should be a clear delineation and separation of the MP's political aides with government administration officers.

Anonymous$&@?: I am puzzled here. Is the Tourism Ministry solely for Padang Rengas? Why are the names of the MP's political assistants in the ministry list, paid or not paid?

WPA: Not being paid a salary using taxpayers' money doesn't mean you cannot get ill-gotten gains because of your so-called appointed position by the one who is on top, who can sign appointment letters to contractors, consultants, etc.

J.Chong: Nedim may not directly be paid by the government, but I foresee eventually all the expenses claimed would be more than the salary.

Fourtan: Nothing short of the removal of Nedim's name from all that is ministry-affiliated and an apology from Nazri for abuse of office will do.

Malaysians must demand higher standards of governance. It is not their grandfather's government (or, God forbid, is it?).

Abasir: Nedim should now seek to head Umno Youth. He has all the credentials - an insider father, a listed job at a ministry, a bully reputation, lots of money, a penchant for fancy cars and cigars, the company of suspicious characters and bodyguards, and the adulation of thousands of Nedim wannabes.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin should step aside to write a book on ‘evidence-based politics'.

Artchan: If Prime Minister Najib Razak is not careful, the Kedah MB can appoint his father as a special officer in the Menteri Besar's Office. That would be the beginning of Najib's permanent headache.

Khairy takes a swipe at Nazri's critics

Old Timer: Youth and Sports Minister and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin must learn to separate issues. Even if, in his opinion, Nazri is able to take on the 'opposition', it does not mean that he is above criticism for having his son in the office.

It is bad practice to employ relatives, wives, children, etc, as when they do a bad job, nobody would dare to complain as they are the kin of the boss.

This is especially with a boss like Nazri, who calls the ministry 'his' ministry and the people working there 'his' employees' and he arrogantly calls critics as having cowdung in their heads.

He forgets that he himself is working for the people and it's the people's ministry. What kind of public servant is this?

It's a test of leadership to win loyalty from the employees who are not your relatives. Hence Seputeh MP Teresa Kok should examine her philosophy on recruitment and management of her staff.

Aries46: "Nedim was initially listed on the Tourism and Culture Ministry's website as "special officer" but this was later amended to "special officer to the Padang Rengas MP (Gen Y issues)".

Despite all his tough talk, old hand Nazri has backtracked. Initially he tested the water by making his son appear as a 'special officer', as what was shown in the Tourism and Culture Ministry's website. When the heat built up and pro-establishment lackeys got into the act , Nazri's tail shrunk.

He changed the appointment to that of his 'aide in Padang Rengas', clarifying that Nedim was not on the ministry's payroll. As long as Nadim is not on taxpayers' payroll, his father can even call him 'Perdana Menteri for Padang Rengas' for all I care.

But the last laugh is poor Khairy making a swoop for his pound of flesh in this comedy of errors for some leverage at the assembly.

Astounded: Actually Nazri is doing the job of a good father. He is trying to turn his son around by getting him gainfully employed. Kudos to him.

Mushiro: Khairy appointed himself the head of the 4th floor boys during his father-in-law's PMship. How can he not support Nazri now?

Ferdtan: Khairy, by defending Nazri, shows he is with Nazri in the run-up to the Umno party election. Since Nazri is not running for any position in the election, it only means that Khairy is ingratiating himself with him, hoping to get his support.

Team A is Najib's team, Team B is Muhyiddin's. Mahathir? A wily old fox, he plays his cards close to his chest to get maximum support from either camp for his own son's political career.

Nazri is obviously with Team A - always with the incumbent PM. So by deduction Khairy is Team A? As the time passes, we can effectively come up with the list for team A and B.

Kingfisher: Khairy's ridiculous defence of Nazri is baffling. This is a timely reminder to those who think that Khairy is a well-reasoned man and has much promise to be a fair-minded leader.

Then again, looking at some heavyweights in present day Umno, one cannot escape the fact that Umno has apparently accepted some strange benchmarks for leadership.

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