Politicians only barred from posts in financial institutions, PM clarifies

PARLIAMENT | Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has clarified that politicians are only barred from being appointed as board members of financial institutions and several other related agencies.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Anwar reaffirmed ongoing efforts to improve not only the appointment process but evaluation of their contributions to various government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs).

“All the appointments go through a process including a review by the Inland Revenue Board, Bank Negara, MACC and police to ensure that they have a clean record.

“Secondly, those who are appointed are professionals. Whether or not they had political positions, that is not the question. Whoever is eligible, we don’t discriminate whether they are politicians or not.

“With exceptions of several areas, including financial institutions and several other agencies, those do not permit appointments of politicians as board members,” he said during Prime Minister’s Question Time.

“That is a strict (condition) and we abide by the principles Bank Negara outlined,” the finance minister said.

Anwar was responding to Hassan Abdul Karim (Harapan-Pasir Gudang) who in a supplementary question suggested the government end political appointments in GLCs and GLICs.

Recent politically linked appointments include former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s daughter, Nooryana Najwa, as a board member of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).

Matrade chairperson Reezal Merican Naina Merican announced Nooryana's appointment on Oct 16, and that she had taken an anti-corruption oath alongside two other new board members, Hairil Yahri Yaacob and Mastura Abdul Karim.

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