A former Suaram director has called for urgent reform measures to address structural issues after Skudai incumbent assemblyperson Marina Ibrahim was offered a chairpersonship at a statutory body as a backup plan if she loses in the Johor polls.
Kua Kia Soong said controversy over the matter has revealed systemic problems, including how patronage weakens democratic competition, with parties in power gaining access to not only state resources, but also positions that strengthen networks, loyalty, and political influence.
The former DAP MP pointed out that even competent appointees are likely to lose legitimacy when selection processes lack transparency, with the rakyat unable to distinguish merit-based appointments from political rewards when criteria remain hidden.
“Statutory bodies exist for public purposes, not political compensation - chairpersonships and board memberships oversee public funds, policy implementation, regulation, education, transport, health systems, and economic planning.
“These positions should not become fallback arrangements for electoral disappointments,” he said in a statement today.
Emphasising that the issue is “larger than DAP, Marina, and the Madani government”, Kua said the lack of transparency behind the appointment processes for statutory bodies will only serve to hinder promised reforms.
“Do statutory bodies belong to the public, or do they function as part of the machinery of party politics?
“Until appointment systems become transparent, meritocratic, and accountable, promises of political reform will continue colliding with old habits of patronage,” he said.
On May 31, Marina announced her retirement from politics after just one term in office, with the 38-year-old later defending the decision, which she said was guided by discussions with her team.
Responding to the announcement, Johor DAP chairperson Teo Nie Ching revealed the party’s initial plan to move Marina to another urban state seat in the Johor election - with a chairpersonship at a statutory body prepared as a backup plan.
Marina has since declined to confirm the authenticity of a May 30 letter purportedly sent to Teo, which allegedly showed the former rejecting an offer to leave Skudai and contest the Tiram state seat, as well as a proposal that she be appointed to a statutory body should she lose.
Back to ‘BN politics’
Commenting on the matter, Kua highlighted that when the Madani government came into power, many voters expected a break from the old “BN politics” of patronage, backroom deals, and reward systems that had long undermined public trust.
However, he said the “underlying culture” behind such practices remains persistent as public positions continue to appear intertwined with coalition management, electoral calculations, and internal party negotiations.
“The controversy surrounding Marina should concern Malaysians not because of one individual politician, but because it exposes how deeply normalised political patronage has become.
“(Teo’s) disclosure is troubling. Not because Marina is necessarily unqualified. Not because political leaders should be excluded from public institutions, and not because only one party is involved.
“It is troubling because it illustrates how public institutions risk being treated as extensions of party management,” he lamented.
Kua also referenced a previous report by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), which flagged 238 political appointments to federal statutory bodies and GLCs under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration.
“Earlier studies suggested appointments were concentrated among parties with the greatest access to executive power.
“These numbers matter less than what they reveal: that appointment systems remain heavily political rather than institutionally independent,” Kua said.
As such, he proposed several reforms for Putrajaya to undertake, including the creation of an independent public appointments commission.
The commission would ensure that major appointments are screened by transparent selection procedures, with published criteria and conflict-of-interest checks.
Besides parliamentary confirmation hearings and fixed-term performance reviews, Kua also suggested that incumbent MPs, assemblypersons, ministers, deputy ministers, and active party office-bearers should face strict limits on paid board appointments.
Urging Putrajaya to introduce anti-patronage legislation which would legally define conflicts of interest, nepotism, and appointment transparency requirements, he further pushed for the government to annually publish comprehensive appointment data for public review. - Mkini
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