KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 3): A total of 95 political appointments to federal statutory bodies (FSBs) and government-linked companies (GLCs) have been made under the unity government, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, according to a think tank.

The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) noted that while political appointments “remain the norm”, the number is relatively lower compared to the two previous administrations — Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri’s government made 273 appointments, and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration made 186 — despite both serving relatively short terms of 15 and 17 months, respectively.

The highest number of political appointments tracked by IDEAS, which monitors 135 FSBs and 283 GLCs across five administrations, occurred under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, led by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, with 301 appointees.

The persistence of political appointments in both FSBs and GLCs highlights the deep entrenchment of political influence in public sector governance, said IDEAS acting chief executive officer (CEO) Aira Azhari.

“Malaysia currently lacks a transparent, merit-based appointment mechanism,” Aira said in a statement.

“Appointments can be used for political gain and for dishing out sinecures. It can result in poor oversight and management of these entities, further eroding public trust in Malaysia’s governance structures. 

“Members of Parliament should scrutinise the performance of FSBs and GLCs through parliamentary committees, not by sitting directly in the boards of these entities,” she added.

It is noted that the 95 appointees identified by IDEAS is less than a total of 117 political appointments revealed by Anwar in a parliamentary response recently. 

From the latest FSB data compiled by IDEAS and its partner MyMP, updated in September 2024, the highest number of appointees comes from Umno and PKR. Umno holds 22 appointments, nearly as many as PKR (17) and Amanah (7) combined, which have 24.

There are four key figures with multiple appointments, including Anwar and Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli from PKR; Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also Umno president; and former Penang executive committee member Yeoh Soon Hin of DAP.

As for appointments to GLC subsidiaries, data up to October 2023 shows that 16 appointments were made under the Anwar-led government, behind Mahathir (13), and ahead of Muhyiddin (31), Najib (32) and Ismail Sabri (33). It should be noted, however, that these findings only track a small fraction of GLCs, as the Audit (Accounts of Companies) Order 2017 listed up to 1,858 GLCs.

The government must strengthen its commitment to good governance and integrity, Aira said, especially as the country faces ongoing economic challenges and aims for sustainable national development.

Aira also stressed the need for transparent public body appointments and suggested a cooling-off period for former politicians, to avoid conflicts of interest, given the increasingly complex political landscape and the potential for different coalitions to govern in the future.