Zahid daughter's UPM appointment proves Harapan's hypocrisy - Gerakan

Summary

• Gerakan president Dominic Lau says Pakatan Harapan has no will to reform political appointments.

• He refers to the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s daughter Nurulhidayah to the board of directors at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

• He also points out that several important ministries are headed by senators.

Pakatan Harapan has no determination to reform political appointments, said Gerakan president Dominic Lau.

He pointed to the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s daughter Nurulhidayah to the board of directors at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

“The action of appointing ‘one’s own people’ to important positions and then providing another narrative to defend oneself is like ‘changing the rules of the game’ to play with the rules one has set themselves.

“If BN can be said to have turned political appointments into a career, Harapan too uplifts its own ‘golden children’,” he said in a statement.

According to an appointment letter purportedly signed by Higher Education Minister Zambry Abd Kadir, Hidayah’s tenure at UPM’s board of directors will run from Jan 2, 2025, to Jan 1, 2028.

The letter states that her appointment represents a “knowledgeable and experienced composition” in accordance with Subsection 18(1) of the UPM constitution.

The appointment has sparked criticism online, notably from controversial graphic artist/activist Fahmi Reza, who mocked the move with a satirical “resumé” of Hidayah.

The mock resumé, shared on Fahmi’s social media, features Nurul’s name, photo, and the title “Anak Zahid Hamidi” (Zahid’s child) prominently.

‘Backdoor’ appointments

Lau said that several important ministries are now headed by senators.

“Now under (Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, ministers for important portfolios such as home; higher education; investment, trade and industry; finance II were all appointed through senatorships.

“Why has nobody questioned these ‘backdoor’ appointments?” Lau asked.

He went on to mock a DAP leader who had previously condemned the appointment of senators to become ministers.

But this same DAP leader went on to be appointed a senator so they could become a deputy minister, Lau added.

He said Harapan has for several decades urged for the abolishment of political appointments into the executive organ of the government, instead championing the merits of performance.

But now that the coalition is in power, it acts arbitrarily, he added.

“I want to remind Anwar that reducing political appointments compared to previous governments is not reformation,” he said.

In October last year, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) ranked recent former prime ministers on their website Pantau Kuasa based on the number of political appointments made.

It found that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak had the highest number of political appointments, at 301, while Anwar has the second-lowest so far, at 95.

Its ranking from highest to lowest was: Najib (301), Ismail Sabri Yaakob (273), Muhyiddin Yassin (186), Anwar (95), and Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s second tenure (86).

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