Confirm key government appointments in Parliament

Wishful Accountant proposes that key cabinet and government appointments should be vetted by a parliamentary bipartisan committee before before they can be confirmed.

I refer to Rafizi Ramli’s proposal for the next Tabung Haji chief executive officer to be confirmed by Parliament. This is a good idea and needs to be considered.

But it will never happened under the current ruling government, as they feel, once elected (although by minority votes), they can say or do anything under sun with impunity. And yes, they have been doing this with impunity.

In this context, we should follow the American way, where many key appointments are vetted and approved by Congress.

In Malaysia, I propose this should be done by way of a parliamentary bipartisan select committee, which will hold the confirmation hearings in public. Malaysian citizens and anyone else whom the committee allows can come forward to testify with immunity from prosecution or defamatory action.

Once the committee has confirmed a particular candidate, then confirmations needing royal approval/assent will be sent to the palace for assent.

I will add the following list of key national positions that should be approved by parliament:

Politics

· Deputy prime minister
· Finance minister
· Home minster
· Defence minister
· International trade minister
· Education minister

Key national positions

· Chief Justice
· All Federal Court judges
· Attorney general
· Bank Negara governor
· Solicitor general
· Auditor general
· Chief secretary to the government
· Head of MACC
· Head of EAIC
· Chief of armed forces
· Chief of air force
· Chief of navy
· Chief of army
· Head of Bernama
· Inspector general of police
· CEO of LHDN
· DG of Customs

Civil service – secretary generals of

· Finance ministry
· Home ministry
· Defence ministry
· International trade ministry
· Education ministry

GLCs (both chairmen and chief executive officers)

· Petronas
· Khazanah
· Prasarana
· MRT Corp
· PFI Sdn Bhd
· Sime Darby
· CIMB
· Maybank
· Felda

GLICs (both chairmen and chief executive officers)

· EPF
· Tabung Haji
· Permodalan Nasional Berhad
· KWAP
· LTAT
· Ekuinas
· ValueCap

Government agencies and departments

· Felcra
· Fama
· Mara
· Regional development authorities

There may be more to add to this list but the above list is for starters and would be crucial to the good governance that we should move towards.

Wishful Accountant, who practises his trade, is a keen customer services and rights champion who spends his own time and resources chasing banks, utility providers, highway concessionaires and local councils on various public interest issues. Occasionally, he feels compelled to comment on political and social issues.

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama

1. Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
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