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PMX appointment of his own daughter as a new adviser on economic affairs raises serious concerns.
However, like all Prime Ministers and Presidents, PMX may appoint specific advisers of his own choice to help him carry out his duties and responsibilities more effectively.
These advisers are normally experts whose professional knowledge and skills are sought after and would prove invaluable to a head of state.
One of the most celebrated advisers of them all in modern history is Henry Kissinger who served as a National Security Adviser during the time of Presidents Nixon and Gerald Ford. It was during Kissinger's tenure as an NSA that the US finally normalized diplomatic relations with China.
Many advisers to PMs and Presidents are highly qualified and usually not members of the immediate family except in the case of Donald Trump who succeeded Barrack Obama as president of the US.
Unlike previous Presidents, Trump broke protocol and appointed his own daughter and son-in-law as his advisers which prove disastrous for the Trump administration getting a backlash from the public for its nepotism.
Closer to home PMs have appointed advisers in various disciplines to help find solutions to specific key problem area that affect the nation at a particular point in time.
Beginning with the fourth PM, Tun Dr Mahathir until PM9, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, a total of 42 special advisers and envoys have been appointed. According to NST, Najib Razak had the most number of advisers and special envoys during his premiership (2009 until 2018) with a total of 16 advisers and envoys - 11 advisers and five envoys - three of whom did not receive a salary.
The three were the former special envoy to Southern African Development Community countries the late Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing, former National Transformation Programme adviser Datuk Seri Idris Jala, and former special envoy to China Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting. As for the rest, their salaries cost taxpayers a total of RM316,538.85 per month.
Most recently PMX, Anwar Ibrahim came under fire from various quarters for appointing his own daughter, Nurul Izzah, as his senior adviser on economics and finance, with critics saying it is nepotism.
The general advice for Anwar here is, to appoint anyone you like as an adviser but certainly not your own child to help you navigate the economy. It smells of nepotism.
Although Anwar defended the appointment, saying Nurul Izzah is not being paid and that she possesses a first degree in engineering and a second degree in public and social policy it did not stop observers from commenting that Nurul Izzah’s appointment reeks of nepotism.
Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said by appointing his own daughter Anwar has betrayed the “reformasi” agenda he had often preached describing the move as being tantamount to “a family taking care of the national treasury”.
He also asked what made Anwar’s family any different from the family of former US president Donald Trump, whose appointment of his daughter Ivanka Trump as his adviser in 2017 drew tremendous public backlash for nepotism.
In the last few days Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin himself has joined the chorus of condemnation on the appointment of Anwar's daughter as a senior economic adviser to her father, by saying that it is the latest in a series of missteps that started with the inclusion of Zahid Hamidi in the Cabinet despite the criminal charges against him.
He also said that the appointment of Nurul is unprecedented. "Never in Malaysian history has a Prime Minister appointed his child as an adviser. This appointment renders as empty talk all the slogans of reformasi that Anwar has been chanting for more than 20 years," he said.
Besides Hassan Merican, Anwar already has a group of advisers in the finance ministry and Rafizi Ramli is the economic affairs minister who is expected to solve all economic problems in the country.
Isn't that adequate enough to handle the economic problems facing the country at the moment?
Why does PMX need another another economics and finance adviser in his own office?
Why does PMX need his own daughter to help him navigate the economy?
There's no reason good enough to justify Nurul Izzah’s appointment as an economics and finance adviser to her father who already had eight years experience as Finance Minister although he himself does not have any background in economics or finance.
While she, on the other hand, has a first degree in engineering and a second degree in public and social policy may still not be exactly what you would wish for in an adviser to a Minister of Finance in the digital era.
"According to professional misconduct and ethics, it is wrong to offer any advice for which a professional accreditation is required such as accountants, auditors, financial planners, lawyers and medical doctors. Here, it seems unaccredited Nurul Izzah will advise accredited professionals in the Finance Ministry."
On the other hand, how could Nurul be sitting in the PM's office whose occupant swore and she proudly announced at the World Economic Forum 2017 that their party, "Pakatan Harapan pledged to separate the roles and positions of both the prime minister and finance minister?"
Whom would Nurul be advising, the PM the FM or just Dad?
For these reasons, Muhyiddin Yassin told Nurul Izzah Anwar to resign from the position as adviser to avoid public backlash on allegations that her own dad a champion in institutional reforms is deep into nepotism.
Similarly, Muhyiddin urged Anwar to step down as finance minister and instruct Zahid to take leave pending the conclusion of his corruption trials.
Only then, according to Muhyiddin would Anwar be able to redeem himself for all his missteps within 100 days of his premiership.
Nurul in 2023 is no different from Ivanka then in 2017. Their dads seem to have more trust in the immediate family, mostly their daughters, than others from outside. But Ivanka was far from the US Treasury.
However, Nurul's case is a great example of nepotism at its best with dad and daughter together looking after the country's coffer.
There is no other PM in this world who has shown a greater love by subjecting himself to listen to the advice of his own daughter on how to navigate the nation's economy and finance.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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