By C4 Center
On 24 May, during his winding-up address at the PKR national congress, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that political appointments made by a government to qualified individuals should be allowed, as they do not constitute an abuse of power.
He justified this by stating that there are many who have sacrificed careers and opportunities for PKR’s causes and should be rewarded as such.
The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) fully condemns these comments, reiterating that appointments to positions of power as a reward for loyalty entrenches crony networks.
Anwar’s support for political appointments is a stance he has defended on several previous occasions. He has argued that political appointments are justified when granting them to individuals who hold “professional” qualifications for these positions, and that their political allegiances are immaterial to the decision-making process.
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This has been criticised roundly by C4 Center and other civil society organisations, proposing instead an open and transparent process of appointment led by clear guidelines, which include both inclusion and exclusion criteria.
The national anti-corruption strategy for 2024-2028 launched by Anwar’s government acknowledges that appointment processes are vulnerable to existing corruption risks.
Under the heading “Analysis on Corruption in Malaysia”, the strategy mentions:
… governance within statutory bodies, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and companies limited by guarantee (CLBGs) in Malaysia is marred by favoritism and nepotism, with top appointments often influenced by political and personal connections.
Despite this, it does not include a strategy to combat this.
Rewarding political loyalties is unacceptable
Anwar’s recent comments are an even greater deviation from acceptable standards of governance, openly admitting to and defending the rewarding of political loyalties.
There is a substantial difference here to the previous stance he has taken publicly. Instead of political affiliation simply being disregarded as a non-factor when it comes to appointments, loyalty to Anwar’s party is now deemed an acceptable factor for appointments to positions of power. Does this mean that if multiple qualified candidates exist, are those who have shown loyalty to Anwar and his party more likely to be appointed?
Political appointments are criticised due to the inherent risks of entrenching crony networks. It is well-documented that cronies appointed as leaders to government-linked companies have used their position to make decisions that enrich the political party or leader that placed them in that position, creating a relationship of patronage.
Anwar’s comments this time around are particularly egregious – he is exclaiming loud and clear that he is open to engage in patronage politics. He is advertising that loyalty in service of political interests that align with his are transactional, and that he is willing to reciprocate with opportunities of power.
The proviso that Anwar employs to deflect criticism is that the individuals appointed will first need to be “qualified”. This excuse fails to assuage corruption concerns at multiple points.
First, that “qualified” individuals are not immune from engaging in patronage.
Second, with no existing policy on appointments, the government is able to arbitrarily define those “qualifications” to fit their own goals.
What does this mean for the people?
Anwar’s comments, while farcical and deserving of ridicule, are a chilling indicator that he has little interest in combating the corruption and cronyism rampant in Malaysia’s political culture.
As the prime minister, his comments set a dangerous precedent in normalising corruption. If the PM is freely speaking of rewarding loyalty with political appointments, there is nothing stopping politicians across all parties and coalitions from doing the same.
His comments enable politicians to treat political appointments as bargaining chips instead of their intended purpose of creating opportunities for the people.
Government-linked companies must not be abused for political or financial gain when their primary aim must be to generate socioeconomic growth for Malaysia.
Besides that, these companies and statutory bodies carry out public functions, such as service provisions in various sectors, eg transport, healthcare and education. The development of such services and their provisions should take priority over political machinations. Hence, their integrity must be defended from predatory parties seeking personal enrichment instead.
C4 Center rebukes Anwar’s comments in the strongest possible terms. We invite civil society organisations, politicians committed to anti-corruption, and concerned individuals across all social classes to condemn these comments.
The “Madani” (trustworthy) reform agenda appears to be dead in the water for now, but it cannot be allowed to rot – the people of Malaysia must defend the integrity of our institutions and work to build a political culture that is transparent and accountable before it is too late. – C4 Center
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