Headline Calls made for political appointees in GLCs, GLICs to step down MediaTitle The Malaysian Reserve Date 18 Aug 2021 Language English Circulation 12,000 Readership 36,000 Section Corporate Page No 1,4 ArticleSize 394 cm² Journalist AFIQ AZIZ & ASILA JALIL PR Value RM 8,307

Calls made for political appointees in GLCs, GLICs to step down

by AFIQ AZIZ & ASILA JALIL

MORE calls have been made for political appointees at government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs) during the (PN) administration to vacate their posts. University Malaya professor of political economy Prof Dr Edmund Terence Gomez said the companies need to run effectively, especially as the nation is facing serious eco- nomic and health crises. "When you make political appointments, GLCs will tend to lose their direction. "All these political appointees that are highly 'questionable' should all step down immediately if he or she was appointed by the previous government," he told The Malay- sian Reserve (TMR) yesterday. He said their resignation would not have a detrimental effect on the companies as there are still managers of the institutions that can manage the operations. Besides GLCs, and GLICs, Gomez high- lighted the same should apply to statutory bodies, listed and unlisted companies, as well as universities that have political appoin- tees at their top posts. He added that appointments made at foundations that have control over such institutions should also be scrutinised to ensure the structure is clear of all politically- motivated interests. "Board of directors are at the highest deci- sion-making level, they control professional managers. So if you put a professional board there, with a professional managerial team, then the GLCs can function better in the interest of the country. "If there is any political appointment, they have to go immediately," he said. Many changes were made at GLCs' top posts last year after PN got hold of the administration, replacing almost all of the

SEE Pi COL 4 Headline Calls made for political appointees in GLCs, GLICs to step down MediaTitle The Malaysian Reserve Date 18 Aug 2021 Language English Circulation 12,000 Readership 36,000 Section Corporate Malaysia Page No 1,4 ArticleSize 394 cm² Journalist AFIQ AZIZ & ASILA JALIL PR Value RM 8,307

Calls made for political appointees in GLCs, GLICs to step down

% FROM P previous appointments made by coalition. Critics have said that the changes in these institutions were made to cement Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and PN's survival. In the meantime, some Umno members have stepped down from their GLC posts after the party announced its retraction of support for Muhyiddin. Among the main shake-up that took place while PN was in power included the appoint- ment of Tanjong Karang MP Tan. Sri Noh Omar as the chairman of Perbadanan Usaha- wan Nasional Bhd and Umno chief Datuk Nawawi Ahmad and 's Datuk Raw i sand ran Narayanan as Tenaga Nasional Bhd's independent and non-EDs. Others included Pas leader Nasruddin Hassan Tantawi, who was named as chair- man of the Islamic Propagation Foundation of Malaysia, and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's Datuk Dr Rais Hussin Mohamed Ariff as Malaysia Digital Economy Corp chairman. Setiawangsa MP and PKR politician Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad also urged political appointees at these institutions to resign following Muhyiddin's resignation on Monday. "With the resignation of the PM, their reasons and legitimacy to stay on at their posts have come to an end as well. Most of these bodies are professionally run, so any disruption should be minimal," he said on his official Twitter account yesterday. Nik Nazmi said the next government must fill the positions professionally and appoint individuals based on merit, rather than political considerations. Meanwhile, former Prasarana Malaysia Bhd group CEO Muhammad Nizam Alias told TMR that political appointments in GLCs would not become an issue if the appointments were made for the good of the people. He said it would be difficult to gain the trust of the public on the appointments if their interests in the organisations have been compromised for the benefit of any political party. "It becomes an issue when people's interests are neglected, and party's and self- interest are pursued. "It is very hard to convince the public that political appointees are put there to take care of the public's interest even if profes- sionals are recommended to the board by the ruling government, unless they see with their very own eyes that corporate govern- ance is respected, investment decisions made above board, money spent wisely and others," he said. Muhammad Nizam was removed from Prasarana as the group's president and CEO on Feb 23, 2021, after only seven months at the helm.