Issue on Nurul Izzah's appointment should be made an example, says GTA info deputy chief

JOHOR BAHRU - The controversy leading to Nurul Izzah Anwar stepping down as senior economics and finance adviser to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must be made as a reminder and a lesson, says Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) information deputy chief Mahdzir Ibrahim.

Mahdzir said the action was believed to have been an attempt to ease the situation, but it was too late as the public's trust towards Anwar was already affected.

He said nepotism was already seen from the unity government when Anwar appointed his own daughter.

"In this context, we are talking about institution, so what is an institution? Geoffrey Martin Hodgson, Emeritus Professor and editor of the Journal of Economic Issues said "...institutions as systems of established and prevalent social rules that structure social interactions....".

"Understanding the meaning of an institution here, it is clear that it directly involves public matters and when it involves a government institution, it could not be separated from the issue of integrity.

"In this situation, how can a public or government institution be trusted and be seen as having integrity by civil servants as well as the public if ethics are not prioritised especially in relation to nepotism elements in leaderships," he said in a statement.

On Sunday, Nurul Izzah who was the former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice-president had announced that she was no longer in service as the senior economics and finance adviser to her father.

The decision was made after the former Permatang Pauh MP was invited to co-head a secretariat that supports the operations of the Advisory Committee to further strengthen the economy and the people.

The secretariat was led by Advisory Committee for the Finance Minister chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican.

Several parties previously questioned Nurul Izzah's appointment which was seen as contradicting with Anwar's struggle against nepotism, cronyism and corruption.

Mahdzir said rejecting nepotism must be implemented.

"That is integrity in political leadership. The perception of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wanting to make his son the Prime Minister was spread for a long time, now everything has crumbled when Dr Mahathir himself left Pejuang," he said.

He said the during Dr Mahathir’s era of the fourth and seventh prime minister, the latter had never appointed his children for any position in the government and it was all made after he retired.