COMMENT | On Oct 22, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim proposed in Parliament that only professionals be appointed to positions in GLCs, excluding those with political backgrounds.

In response, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reaffirmed the government's stance that politicians can be appointed to such positions through a merit-based process.

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) strongly disagrees with this position and calls for an end to the appointment of politicians to GLCs and government-linked investment companies (GLICs).

The justification by the prime minister is that all appointments to key positions in GLCs undergo a stringent vetting process, adding that the checks involve the Inland Revenue Board (IRB), Bank Negara Malaysia, the MACC and the police.

However, such checks do not address the main issue of...