Kuala Lumpur, 18 October 2022: The recent update by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) on its Pantau Kuasa website reflects the latest political appointments in Federal Statutory Bodies (FSBs) during Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri’s government. In light of the Parliament dissolution announced on 10 October 2022 and the looming general election, IDEAS strongly urges the new government to proceed with caution on any post GE-15 appointments.
The data monitored between August 2021 until September 2022 shows that there has been a worrying increase in the number of political appointments for FSBs under the ninth Prime Minister. Overall, there were 234 appointments made with 115 of those retained from the previous administration while as many as 119 new entries were identified. UMNO dominated for the number of politicians retained in FSBs with 52 appointments while BERSATU had 28 appointments and PAS had 11 appointments. Furthermore, more than half of the brand new appointments belong to UMNO (61), followed by BERSATU (19), the newly established PBM (15), PAS (7) and MCA (5).
Out of 133 FSBs, approximately 72 FSBs (54%) of them were directly affected with the appointments and involved 22 out of 27 ministries (81%) under Ismail Sabri’s tenure. The ministries with the most political appointments are Higher Education (10 FSBs), Transport (8 FSBs), Rural Development (8 FSBs), Agriculture and Food Industries (8 FSBs) as well as Plantation Industries and Commodities (7 FSBs). Institut Koperasi Malaysia (IKMa) saw the largest volume of appointments in its board of directors with 10 recognizable politicians. The research also found that 56 FSBs are highly susceptible to political influence due to having its chairpersons clearly affiliated with political parties, or are either current/former MPs, ADUNs and senators.
“The findings from our Pantau Kuasa see a sharp increase in political appointments from Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration to Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri’s administration. These are some measurable indicators of the possible political compromises made to accomodate the various parties’ interests within a coalition and to maintain political stability at the federal government level. Having too many political figures within FSBs as the nation transitions and recovers from the devastating COVID-19 period brings into question the due diligence aspect of these appointment processes,” commented Dr Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS.
The issue of political appointments has already resurfaced due to public concerns over the dissolution of Parliament and the absence of a formal government. Hence, IDEAS strongly emphasises that the current situation in Malaysia is an opportunity for the caretaker government to seriously reflect on the democratic principles of better governance, fairness, integrity, accountability and transparency. Despite the constraints of unclear guidelines on the role of caretaker government, the caretaker Prime Minister and the supporting civil servants must at the very least adhere to non-partisanship as a way to restore trust towards our public institutions.
“Given what this research reveals, it is imperative that all political parties pledge to minimise political appointments as part of their election manifestos. The post GE-15 landscape must see a reduction of unnecessary political appointments, especially if we are to see better governed businesses,” concludes Dr Yeoh.
It is in the best interest for all Malaysians to see greater commitment from the government to resist party pressures in terms of rewarding loyalty with political appointments. IDEAS looks forward to continuing its existing Pantau Kuasa work, providing more analysis on monitoring the executive branch, and to potentially further expand its scope to also cover appointments in GLCs and GLICs in the near future.
For more information, please visit the website at https://www.pantaukuasa.com/.
Appendices: Data Charts
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For enquiries, please contact:
Halmie Azrie Abdul Halim, Executive, Democracy and Governance
T: +603 2070 8881/8882 | E: halmie@ideas.org.my
Louis Denis, Manager, External Relations
T: +603 2070 8881/8882 | E: louis@ideas.org.my