KUCHING, Dec 15: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government has terminated all politically appointed chairmen and board members of government-linked companies (GLCs), statutory bodies and state-investment funds with immediate effect.
According to Malay Mail in a news report today, the matter was confirmed by a Federal government official after a decision was made in a Cabinet meeting yesterday (Dec 14), following the first report by The Malaysian Insight.
The action appears to be a fulfilment of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) election campaign promise to eliminate political patronage.
After becoming the Federal government following its win in the 14th general election, PH attempted to put an end to the practise, but the plan was overturned when Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin became prime minister in 2020.
From August 2021 to September 2022, more than 230 such appointments are believed to have been made, of which 119 were new and 115 were maintained from the previous administration led by Muhyiddin.
It is ambiguous whether the termination means that political appointments would be prohibited entirely. — DayakDaily
