No reason to exclude politicians as GLC heads, says Najib

The government would not hesitate to select anyone who was qualified, including former civil servants and ex-politicians

KUANTAN: The appointment of heads of government-linked companies is based on qualifications, capability and experience, and not solely on whether they have political experience or their background.

Explaining the rationale for the appointments in light of a proposal that former politicians be banned from holding such posts, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government would not hesitate to select anyone who was qualified, including former civil servants and ex-politicians.

“We are not tied to any policies,” he said after chairing the cabinet meeting at the Pahang Foundation complex here yesterday. This was the first cabinet meeting held outside Putrajaya since Najib took office in April 2009.

Najib was responding to a proposal by National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) member Datuk Dr Zainal Aznam Mohd Yusof to ban expoliticians from holding top GLC jobs.

Zainal, a government economic adviser involved in drafting the New Economic Model (NEM), was quoted by a news portal as saying that corruption could be curbed if politicians were banned from holding senior positions in companies.

The government, Najib said, would appoint anyone based on their qualifications, whether they were corporate figures, excivil servants or former politicians.

“Politicians are also highly educated, with degrees and master’s in business administration.

“Some also have corporate experience and they are experienced in administrating their respective ministries.”

Zainal also got into a flap with Perkasa after he claimed that the Malay rights group Perkasa was totally against Part One of the New Economic Model, containing the Equal Opportunities Commission’s proposal to drop the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity ownership.

Because of the opposition, Zainal claimed some original ideas had to be edited out, prompting him to express unhappiness over the final version of the NEM.

Zainal also claimed that Perkasa had threatened to burn the part containing the proposal to drop the Bumiputera equity and that the non-governmental organisation criticised Malay members in the council who went against Perkasa’s cause.

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali’s immediate response had been to dismiss Zainal’s assertions, denying that Perkasa had threatened to burn the NEM documents but underscored the need for the NEM to include the Bumiputera agenda on the economy to be the national agenda to determine the future of the country.

p/s: Macam lantikan Tan Sri Isa Samad jadi Pengerusi FELDA ke?. Woit!. Jangan sembang KOSONG lah!.