‘Latheefa, quit if you have dignity’ - PKR Youth veep

PKR Youth vice-president Syed Badli Syah Syed Osman has called on Latheefa Koya to step down as newly-minted MACC chief commissioner to “prove” her integrity.

He said the former PKR legal bureau chief and central committee member should have rejected the position in the first place.

This is because the appointment, a unilateral decision by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was made via improper channels without prior consultation with the parliamentary special select committee or Pakatan Harapan presidential council, said Syed Badli.

“As an individual who has constantly contested the wrongdoing and integrity of various parties, Latheefa should make her stand by rejecting the appointment.

“[...] An appointment done in this manner cannot be the practice in Harapan, as the people would dispute the transparency in the selection procedures of government agency positions,” Syed Badli said in a statement this morning.

He reminded the ruling coalition to stay true to Promise 14 of the Pakatan election manifesto, which stated the anti-graft body would report directly to Parliament rather than to the prime minister.

Promise 14 had also pledged that appointment of MACC commissioners must be validated democratically by Parliament, while Promise 16 stated that key appointments to the commission must be approved by a suitable parliamentary select committee.

“Hence, I urge Latheefa to resign as MACC chief commissioner immediately if she has any dignity,” he said.

The PKR Youth leader’s statement came despite the call by Amanah Youth chief Muhammad Faiz Fadzil yesterday for the coalition to close ranks over the issue of the appointment.

The latter, in his personal capacity, warned that internal conflicts could damage the coalition.

Amanah president and cabinet minister Mohamad Sabu remain the sole member of Harapan’s top leadership to support Mahathir’s action.

However, de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong, who is from Sabah’s Warisan, also defended Mahathir, stating the premier acted within the law.

Meanwhile, Syed Badli’s fellow PKR member, Wanga Maju lawmaker Tan Yee Kew, has signed an online petition calling for Latheefa’s resignation.

Tan stated her move had nothing to do with Latheefa's integrity and capability but the way she was appointed to the MACC top post countered the very institutional reform Harapan, and Latheefa herself, pushed hard for – to stop political appointments in key government posts.

The petition has garnered over 3,940 signatures as at 3.19pm.

Meanwhile, a petition in support of Latheefa as the MACC head has garnered some 4,980 signatures.

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