‘Refer to my previous statement’, Johari says about son’s appointment

KUALA LUMPUR - Datuk Seri Johari Abdul denies practicing nepotism as he reiterates his previous statement that no government appointment was made for his son Mohammed Iqbal.

However, he had previously said that he would consider to apply for his eldest son’s appointment as special tasks officer to the Dewan Rakyat’s office.

Johari who was appointed as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker On Dec 19 asked for the media to refer to his previous statement.

“Refer to my previous statement,” he told reporters at the 2023 Dewan Rakyat Speaker and media practitioners meet at the Parliament, here, on Wednesday.

He said this when asked to comment on the claims that he appointed his son to work for his office.

The former Sungai Petani MP said Iqbal had been his officer for 14 years and had only continued his job to aid him with an allowance paid by Johari himself.

He said there was no element of nepotism because the official appointment process was carried out considering Iqbal’s qualifications and experience.

He said Iqbal has served as his special officer since 2009 and has a Bachelor’s Degree majoring in Finance at Melaka Multimedia University (MMU).

Johari further said that Iqbal performed his duties as an officer throughout his time as Sungai Petani MP from 2008 to 2022 and attended meetings as well as managed regional matters.

The issue was considered a nepotism after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appointed his daughter Nurul Izzah as the economy and finance senior adviser.

The claims were brought up by Bersatu member Badrul hisham Shaharin also known as Chegubard who questioned Johari on his appointment.

The official Parliament portal place Iqbal as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker’s Special Tasks Officer. - AWANI