Are political appointees going for good?

What is a political appointment, and who is a political appointee? The real meanings are abstruse, fuzzy and ambiguous. My understanding is that a political appointment is one made by a politician, irrespective of the appointee’s position in the party. (Former 1MDB chief Arul Kanda Kandasamy comes to mind.)

A political appointee is an appointment to a position because of the appointee’s status in the party, his previous position or his contributions to the party. That’s how Umno leader Isa Samad ended up as chairperson of Felda.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on assuming the post on May 10 declared that there were 17,000 such political appointees in the government. Although the figure is on the high side, no breakdown has been provided. In the absence of such information, we can only assume that those whose services have been summarily terminated are politics-related appointments.

I stand to be corrected if there is a better interpretation or an official one. Using the history of the Port Klang Authority (PKA), the chairperson had always been a nominee of the transport minister, who has always held positions in the MCA. Competent people with experience in port operations were considered “trouble makers” because are they knowledgeable, and had questioned politically-motivated activities.

Similarly, the chairperson of Felda has traditionally been someone nominated by the prime minister and has always been an Umno stalwart. And as independent and unbiased the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat can be, his appointment and position will always be viewed as political.

Many positions in government agencies are filled by political appointees and sometimes used as rewards for those who jump ship, as practised by the previous regime. (Look around and count the number of ex-DAP leaders in agencies and the boards of government-linked companies and public-listed companies.)

Why all of a sudden the affliction on political appointments, you may ask.

Sporting experience

Yesterday, the youth and sports minister was reported to have sacked nine political appointees from various agencies under the purview of the ministry. They include former board members, chairpersons and directors of Perbadanan Padang Golf Subang, the Institute of Youth Research Malaysia (Iyres), Perbadanan Stadium Malaysia, and the National Sports Institute.

In the absence of the identities, we would not be able to establish if some innocent “bystanders” who have provided yeoman service had become collateral damage in what can be described as a “war of attrition”.

It cannot be denied that there are many good politicians-cum-sports operators who have taken sports up several notches with their commitment and dedication. A name that comes to mind is the late Harun Idris, who is rated as the best football manager the country has ever seen. He was a footballer himself and later led the Selangor Football Association, and was senior official in the Football Association of Malaysia.

It cannot be denied that there are some political appointees or politicians in sports bodies who have excelled in their positions. However, a handful has little or no knowledge of sports or its management.

He or she attends meetings, remains silent because he or she is unmindful and oblivious to the discussions or the decisions taken.

So, who are going to replace the vacancies caused by the “sacking” of the nine? Obviously, they would be appointed by the minister. Wouldn’t they too be they viewed as political appointees?

Not necessarily so, if the appointees have all the requisites – knowledge, skill and experience.

Such appointments will need no justification. Lest I be accused of lobbying, no names will be mentioned, but let it be said that there are scores of such personalities comprising former athletes and sports officials.

They had been dumped on the wayside or ignored to make way for political appointees. Who best to head, for example, the NSI but a former sportsman who knows the A to Z of sports, its necessities and has the related expertise? Surely, this is one area where a party stalwart whose only claim to fame is organising ceramah, cannot handle or expected to perform.

So, who will the minister turn to? The pack of party men who are lining up for positions and have lobbied for appointments, or good, seasoned and experienced people?

All eyes will be on the minister and his next moves. Those who voted for change on May 9 had also voted for changing the “abang-adik” system in sports, which was prevalent under the previous regime.

Prior to the 14th general election, political appointees ruled the roost. From government-linked companies (GLCs) to quangos, and from sports to business, politicians had a field day. Instead of serving, some turned them into lucrative sources of income.

Will we see “real” change this time?

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R. NADESWARAN is elated on the move to remove political appointees, but is worried there will political reasons to maintain the status quo. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com -Mkini