PETALING JAYA: Government-linked companies (GLCs) exist to safeguard and grow the country’s wealth, and do not serve as political parties’ automated teller machines (ATMs), says an election watchdog.
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) called out Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s offer of political appointments to GLCs after securing a majority in the six state polls, saying it was an affront to good governance.
“GLCs are companies that exist to safeguard and grow public wealth and are not political parties’ ATMs to put party loyalists on the state’s payroll,” said Bersih 2.0.
“In openly declaring his intention, we also wonder if it is a form of vote buying to secure the support of certain groups.”
Bersih 2.0 said this form of political patronage had become part of the political culture.
“Every successive administration, including the current unity government, is guilty of appointing either elected or unelected politicians to the board of GLCs,” it said in a statement yesterday.
In an interview with a web portal last week, Muhyiddin said Perikatan was ready to form the government in the six states where they had even agreed on the allocation of posts among its component parties.
Muhyiddin said there was no problem in appointing politicians with good merit to GLCs as the positions were not exclusive to corporate figures.
Bersih maintained that no elected representatives should be appointed to GLCs as their primary responsibility was to serve voters as lawmakers and not as company directors.
“For unelected politicians, we must put in place a clear and rigorous process to ensure transparency and that only suitably qualified individuals are appointed as they are entrusted with public assets.
“Voters must vote wisely in the upcoming state elections to ensure parties or candidates who are committed to institutional reforms to end corruption are elected so that our country can be freed from the scourge of political patronage and corruption,” it said.
