ALOR STAR: There is no requirement for politicians to resign from their party positions before accepting roles on the boards of government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs), says Amanah vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar.
He said that political office bearers could hold such positions as long as they maintained a clear boundary between their political interests and their responsibilities to the agencies.
"It is crucial for politicians to differentiate between their duties to the GLCs and their political affiliations.
"Decisions should focus on driving profits for the agency, not for political gain, provided that political interests do not cloud their judgement," he said.
Mahfuz, who is also the Farmers' Organisation Authority (LPP) chairman, told reporters this after presenting RM1.29 million in cash aid to 887 padi farmers affected by a prolonged dry spell.
While acknowledging common criticisms regarding political appointments in GLCs and GLICs, he said that these entities were governed by boards, and political appointees did not make unilateral decisions.
"I understand my roles as both party vice-president and chairman of a government agency. My board includes civil servants from the Economy Ministry, the Agricultural and Food Security Ministry, and the Finance Ministry, so I cannot make decisions on my own," he said.
The former Pokok Sena member of Parliament, was responding to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's explanation that the appointments to the boards of GLCs and GLICs would undergo a thorough vetting process including checks by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB), Bank Negara Malaysia, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and the police to ensure the integrity of appointees.
His statement came in response to Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang), who suggested that GLC and GLIC board members should be independent of political influence and drawn from an integrity-driven private sector.