PETALING JAYA: There is no element of nepotism or cronyism in the appointment of Nurul Izzah Anwar as the senior adviser to the Prime Minister on economics and finance, says her political aide.
Amir H. Ghazali said that Nurul Izzah's appointment was the prerogative of the Prime Minister and all parties must respect it, adding that a person must be judged by their credibility.
"I am confident that the appointment has been carefully discussed, and taking into account the various elements that prioritise effectiveness in implementing various national agenda," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 31).
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Nurul Izzah had revealed in an exclusive interview with Sunday Star that she had been serving as senior adviser to the Prime Minister since Jan 3.
"After all, Nurul Izzah is not a chief executive officer (CEO) or a chairman that has any authority to approve projects, tenders and so on.
"So there is no issue of nepotism or cronyism in the administration of the unity government if such an appointment is made for the benefit of the country.
"Most importantly, there are no elements of contract that are given to any family members or relatives.
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"So why is the appointment considered a practice of nepotism," he asked.
"I would like to stress again, that whoever that will be appointed, even if it's their own children, is the prerogative of the Prime Minister that must be respected and cannot be questioned.
"All parties, both the opposition and the government, should give as much space as possible to the Prime Minister instead of pressuring him," he said.
He explained that in the context of the unity government, implementation of the plans made between the Finance Ministry and Economy Ministry should be implemented immediately.
"So a team that is close to the Prime Minister must be formed and the appointment of Nurul Izzah should be considered as appropriate to facilitate the implementation of the action plans.
The announcement had drawn criticism by various parties, including from Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who asked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to relinquish the finance portfolio and advise his daughter Nurul Izzah to step down from her role as senior adviser.
