PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says his daughter Nurul Izzah would never abuse her position as his senior adviser on economics and finance.
Answering a question about the criticism he has faced over her controversial appointment, Anwar reiterated that Nurul Izzah is not being compensated for her work.
“There is no possibility of her using that position to amass wealth and influence decisions on tenders, contracts or projects,” he said during a press conference at the PKR headquarters here.
“Yes, I need her experience to assist me, but let me emphasise that she is there to protect and pursue the agenda of (good) governance and incorruptibility.”
He added that he takes a “strong position” against those who have criticised the appointment, especially those who “awarded contracts worth billions or hundreds of millions of ringgit to their sons or sons-in-law or cronies when they were in power”.
However, Anwar did not elaborate on who he was referring to.
On Jan 29, Nurul Izzah revealed that she had been officially appointed senior adviser on economics and finance to the prime minister on Jan 3 this year.
Anwar later defended the appointment by saying Nurul Izzah was not being paid and that she is qualified for the post due to her degrees in engineering, and public and social policy.
However, critics of the appointment said that it was a sure sign of nepotism which will put the unity government on the defensive as it provides fodder for the opposition to attack them.
Meanwhile, when asked about whether Umno leaders have expressed interest to join PKR after the recent purge in the party, PKR president Anwar said his party will first hold discussions with their Umno counterparts.
“We take note of the fact that some ex-Umno members have expressed their intention to join (PKR), and we will discuss this in due course with Umno leaders,” he said.
“No decision has been made yet.” - FMT
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