Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has been urged to clarify whether due process was observed in the appointment of SME Corp's newest board member, Nurulhidayah Ahmad Zahid.
Transparency-International Malaysia president Dr Muhammad Mohan said the move would address public perception of nepotism due to her status as the eldest daughter of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"Her appointment should go through the board's nomination committee which evaluates the board of directors' skills, qualifications and characteristics needed as board candidates.
"In the name of transparency and good governance, the minister should clarify if this due process was done," Muhammad told Malaysiakini.
Responding to public backlash yesterday, Nurulhidayah said her appointment to SME Corporation's board had nothing to do with her father and that she had personally submitted her résumé to the minister.
Her critics, however, argued that an ordinary applicant without strong family connections would have no such access to the minister.
Nurulhidayah had cited her personal career experience to back up the appointment and Muhammad said if found to be qualified, she should be given a chance to fill the role.
"But she must be aware that she will be under public scrutiny and she should do her job professionally.
"Like what has happened in some GLCs, where political appointees in some boards abuse their power for personal gain and where jobs or contracts are awarded to family members.
"This is the reason why the public and civil societies are against politicians or their family members taking up board positions in agencies or government-linked companies," Muhammad said.
Meanwhile, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) founding director Cynthia Gabriel said it is a rightful demand from the public for Nurulhidayah's appointment to be rejected.
"A central pillar of good governance is that children, spouses and direct family members could exert undue influence and as such must be barred from participating in the spoils of the administration, even if they have the necessary qualifications.
"Running a government is not and cannot be a family business. The primary principle is that the appointment should be transparent.
"But to exercise due diligence and integrity, it is best not to run into a conflict of interest situations," Cynthia stressed.
SME Corporation is an agency that coordinates development programmes for small businesses, provides advice and serves as the secretariat of the National Entrepreneur SME Development Council (NESDC), chaired by the prime minister.
Nurulhidayah, 42, is Zahid's eldest child. According to her Linkedin page, she is the executive director of Menara Rezeki Sdn Bhd and luxury hotel chain Ri-Yaz Group.
She is also the co-founder of headwear company Couverture and once the head of corporate communications at Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd, where she started her career back in 2002.
Nurulhidayah holds a masters and a bachelors degree in corporate communications from Universiti Putra Malaysia. - Mkini
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