238 political appointments recorded since Oct 2025, says think tank

 IDEAS says it also found that 78% of chairman positions in statutory bodies were occupied by people who are politically connected.

Bersih and IDEAS reiterated that using positions in GLCs or statutory bodies as rewards or political pathways ‘runs contrary to the spirit of governance reform and reinforces a culture of political patronage’. (Freepik pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A reform group and a think tank have panned Johor DAP chairman Teo Nie Ching for saying that former Skudai assemblyman Marina Ibrahim could be considered for appointments to positions in GLCs and statutory bodies if she ceases to be an elected representative after the Johor election.

In a joint statement today, Bersih and the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) noted that as of October 2025, IDEAS has recorded 238 political appointments to the boards of federal GLCs and statutory bodies.

They noted that the think tank also found that 78% of chairman positions in statutory bodies were occupied by politically connected people, while “comprehensive legal frameworks and clear qualification standards remain absent”.

“This increases the risk that political considerations may outweigh merit, expertise and public interest in appointments to important institutions.

“We reiterate that using positions in GLCs or statutory bodies as rewards or political pathways runs contrary to the spirit of governance reform and reinforces a culture of political patronage,” they said.

On May 31, Marina announced that she was leaving politics and would not seek re-election in Skudai.

Teo responded by disclosing that DAP had planned to field Marina in the Tiram seat, and that she had intended to propose Marina for the chairmanship of a statutory body regardless of whether she won or lost the election.

Bersih and IDEAS today also criticised the withholding of allocations to Subang MP Wong Chen and Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung, saying they reflect the continued lack of a level political playing field.

They said this, as well as the continued lack of consistent access to development allocations for opposition MPs, “demonstrate that efforts to create a fairer and more level political playing field have not yet been fully realised”.

“Access to development allocations should not be determined by political differences or by one’s relationship with the government of the day.

“Public funds exist for the benefit of the people and the development of constituencies, not as instruments of political reward or punishment,” they said.

Yesterday, Lee said he had lost access to the MyKhas portal, which manages parliamentary allocations, one week after Wong’s office lost access.

Both MPs were among those who attended the May 17 launch of Parti Bersama Malaysia, a party that former PKR leaders Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad have taken over.

PKR deputy secretary-general Bryan Ng today defended the move, saying it was not selective persecution or an oversight, but a result of Lee and Wong’s political choices.

He said the two MPs cannot “actively choose to align with a platform built to overthrow the government and simultaneously demand that the very same government hand over state resources”. - FMT