Anwar's prerogative to hire qualified people, says Bersih

SHAH ALAM - It is the Prime Minister's prerogative to appoint advisors to assist him, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) said.

Its chairman, Thomas Fann said Nurul Izzah's appointment as the Senior Economic and Financial Advisor to her father and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is understandable.

"This is because Anwar is holding both the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister posts, which calls for the need to rope in others to assist him," he told Sinar Daily.

Thomas added that it is his prerogative to appoint people whom he thinks is capable and trustworthy as advisors to assist him.

He said that since Nurul Izzah is a seasoned three-term lawmaker and and familiar with economic and financial issues faced by the public,the appointment is justified.

"If the mismatch of her academic qualifications is an issue, then it would probably be an issue with all the current and former ministerial appointments as well," he stated.

He also said that Nurul Izzah not taking any allowances should allay any suspicion that monetary compensation was a motive for the appointment.

"The question we should ask is should a capable and qualified person be excluded from serving in key positions just because he or she is related to the PM," he said.

He added that the people should instead focus on the necessity, due process, merit, and cost of such an appointment.

"If there isn't a need for such an advisor, and the due process was not followed, and Nurul Izzah is clearly unqualified but paid handsomely, then it will be a matter of great concern especially when she is also the PM's daughter," he concluded.

It was reported on Sunday that Nurul Izzah had been appointed as a Senior Economic and Financial Advisor to the Prime Minister.

Through her interview with The Star, the former Permatang Pauh MP said that her appointment had effectively started on Jan 3.

Nurul Izzah, also hoped that her experience as an MP who focused on issues such as poverty, education and vocational training (TVET) and also her experience in serving the National Accounts Committee will benefit her in her new role.