End Political Appointment in GLCs, Legislate GLC Law Now

The Coalition for Clean  and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0) expresses concerns at the recent appointments of Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub (Machang Member of Parliament) and Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin (Rompin Member of Parliament) as Chairman of Felcra Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd respectively and calls for political appointment in GLCs to be stopped immediately.

Members of Parliament (MPs) should focus on their role as lawmakers and perform oversight functions over the government of the day, including the performance of all government linked corporations (GLCs) under the purview of the Executive.

There will be direct conflict of interest between the role of running GLCs and the role to scrutinise government’s management of GLCs when Members of Parliament themselves are appointed to hold positions in GLCs.  

GLCs must not become a tool of the ruling parties to access rich resources for their political campaigns, to expand their political patronage or to entice elected representatives to party hop in order to stay in power. We must also not forget how the scandals of 1MDB, FELDA, Tabung Haji etc gone out of hand when helmed by politicians with billions of dollars loss at the expense of the rakyat and the effective functioning of the GLCs.

We call on GLCs to be headed by professionals with relevant experiences, proven track record and personal integrity to ensure that all the GLCs are well managed and the public interest is safeguarded.   

We further call on a new law to be adopted to make appointment of chairperson and board members of GLCs are based on merits, transparent and accountable. Under the new law, elected representatives should be banned from holding positions in GLCs. The law should also compel all GLCs to enhance disclosure and transparency through periodic reports that includes important information such as appointment of chairperson and directors, their remuneration etc.

A bi-partisan Parliamentary Select Committee should be established to screen all appointments of chairperson and board members of GLCs. 

This would restore public and investor confidence in GLC corporate governance, which has been tainted in recent years.

Released by,
The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0