PM in 'dangerous position' over Nurul Izzah's appointment - C4

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to appoint his daughter Nurul Izzah as his economics and finance adviser puts him in a “dangerous position”, according to the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4).

Its deputy chief executive officer K Sudhagaran Stanley called out the move as nepotism and a conflict of interest.

“The position being pro bono is irrelevant. It is about nepotism, and more importantly, conflict of interest issues.

“This could place the PM in a difficult and dangerous position,” he told Malaysiakini.

Elaborating, Sudhagaran said that there was concern that Anwar was setting a wrong precedent by appointing a family member to fill an important position.

‘PM should be leading the way’

“There is a high expectation on the prime minister. He should be leading the way and setting high standards of governance.

“Other ministers might now do the same in appointing their daughters or family members to lead important portfolios. Where do we draw the line here then?

“This is surely not a good governance practice,” he added.

Nurul Izzah received severe criticism over her new role in government after revealing it during an interview with The Star that was published on Jan 29.

Nurul Izzah has been a career politician and has been a three-term MP. In 2008, at the age of 28, she was elected as the MP for Lembah Pantai. During the last parliamentary election, she failed to retain her Permatang Pauh seat.

While Anwar has confirmed that his daughter will be doing the job without being paid an allowance, the decision has come under fire from both sides of the political divide.

Parliamentary Opposition Leader Hamzah Zainudin urged Anwar to retract the appointment, claiming it goes against the principles of good governance, integrity and anti-corruption.

PKR’s Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim described the appointment of Nurul Izzah as ”morally wrong”.

What about Rafizi?

Sudhagaran went on to question the necessity of her appointment, considering there was already an Economy Minister, Rafizi Ramli, in Anwar’s cabinet.

“Could there be a conflict here or a duplication process?

“Who would the prime minister listen to on recommendations? His daughter or the economy minister? This is the problem here.”

He further questioned why her appointment - effective Jan 3 - was only announced yesterday.

According to Sudhagaran, Anwar as a key leader in government must set a good example for his subordinates.

“The government must urgently initiate reforms and this must start from the top.

“There needs to be a clear signal that they are serious about reforms. By appointing family members, civil servants are not going to be convinced that this government is serious about the reform agenda and sends a troubling signal downline.

“Every action taken by key leaders at the top must be of high governance standards and send confidence to the public at large,” he said.

‘Follow only the best practice’

Sudhagaran urged for transparency in political appointment processes with a selection that follows only the best practice examples.

“The qualifications, application and the selection process needs to be made public and transparent so that every interested individual will have a chance to apply for the job,” he said.

If Anwar wanted the most qualified individuals on his team, there must be room for the public to apply for such positions, Sudhagaran added.

“How can we be sure that Nurul Izzah is the most qualified person that has been selected for that job?

“What is the benchmark that we are comparing against, here?” he questioned.

Nurul Izzah row: It strikes a nerve in country with history of nepotism

Nurul Izzah's appointment is nepotism, Hamzah calls out PM

Anwar's aide denies Wan Azizah appointed to PMD position

'Legally right but morally wrong' to appoint Nurul Izzah as PM's adviser - PKR MP

Think tank: Nurul Izzah not qualified to be PM's adviser

Is Nurul Izzah as adviser good governance, Bersatu Youth leader asks PM

PM defends Nurul Izzah's credential to serve as economic, finance adviser

Nurul Izzah serving pro bono as PM's senior adviser on economics, finance

LETTER | Is Nurul Izzah's appointment justifiable?

LETTER | Anwar should retract Nurul Izzah's appointment as senior adviser