Johor BN's 10 deputy exco appointments draw opposition scrutiny over cost, purpose

 

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi poses for a photograph with the newly appointed Deputy Chairpersons of the Johor State Government Committees during a press conference announcing the line-up of deputy chairpersons at the Dato’ Jaafar Muhammad Building, Kota Iskandar, today. - BERNAMA PIC

JOHOR BARU: The appointment of 10 deputy state executive councillors (exco) by the Johor government has drawn criticism from the opposition, which questioned the purpose, cost and transparency of the newly created positions.

Muda president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz described the move as a waste of public funds, accusing the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led state government of using taxpayers' money for political consolidation.

She said the allocation should instead be channelled towards infrastructure development and improving the welfare of Bangsa Johor.

"This is a waste of Johor people's money by the menteri besar, who is using public funds in the distribution of political rewards," she said in a statement today.

Amira said the 10 deputy exco positions, coupled with the expected appointment of appointed assemblymen, appeared aimed at strengthening BN rather than improving state administration.

"This is not a policy to strengthen state administration. This is only a policy to strengthen BN using Bangsa Johor's money," she said.

The criticism came hours after Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced the appointment of 10 deputy excos.

It was the first such appointment in Johor's history, following BN's landslide victory in the July 11 Johor election.

The new positions were introduced to support excos in managing portfolios and enhancing government delivery.

Meanwhile, Senai DAP assemblyman-elect Wong Bor Yang called on the state government to provide a detailed explanation of the rationale behind the appointments, their scope of duties and the financial implications involved.

Wong said while the appointments were announced as a move to strengthen administrative efficiency, public perception was that they were a political arrangement to address a situation where there were "too many elected representatives but limited positions".

"If the intention is truly to improve administrative efficiency, the priority should be reducing bureaucracy and administrative hurdles, not creating new positions where the powers and functions are not clearly provided for under the state constitution," he said.

He warned that unclear roles could create confusion over authority and affect the effectiveness of state administration.

Wong said the appointments represented BN's first major political decision after its strong victory in the state election and would carry significant implications for Johor's governance direction.

He also raised concerns over the state legislature's check-and-balance function, citing shorter sitting periods, reduced debate time for assemblymen and shorter exco winding-up sessions compared with previous arrangements.

"If questions that should be answered personally by exco members can later be passed to deputy excos, the check-and-balance role of the state legislative assembly will become weaker," he said.

Wong also highlighted Johor Budget 2026, which projected state revenue of RM2.55 billion against expenditure of RM2.546 billion.

He said while the state had recorded its highest-ever revenue, spending had also reached its highest level.

"People expect increased state revenue to translate into more efficient administration and better public services, not additional positions and administrative costs," he said.

Wong added that following amendments to the Johor state constitution, the state government now has the authority to appoint up to five nominated assemblymen, with such appointments also involving public funds and administrative costs.

He urged the state government to uphold transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility by ensuring every new position created served the public interest rather than political interests. - NST