Empower NGOs to ensure proper checks and balances, says Khairy

 

Khairy Jamaluddin has suggested that the Terengganu government appoint 10 NGO members to the state assembly.

KUALA LUMPUR: A former minister believes that NGOs should be empowered to provide better checks and balances, lamenting that the country is heavily reliant on the three branches of government for such purposes.

Khairy Jamaluddin said there was an assumption that the three constitutional branches of government, the executive, legislative and judicial branches, could provide sufficient checks and balances.

However it was not enough as “the judiciary is related to the executive”, he said. “Whoever sits in the executive branch has lots of friends in Parliament, so the influence is there.”

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Although the judicial appointments board “is quite independent”, judges’ appointments must go through the prime minister, “so the prime minister has power there too”, Khairy said in a speech at the Malaysian Student Leaders summit held here.

Khairy said that during his time as health minister he had engaged NGOs and professional bodies as they represented the voices of the common people.

Terengganu should appoint 10 NGO reps

Separately, Khairy suggested that Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mohktar appoint 10 representatives from NGOs and other minority groups to provide checks and balances following PAS’s clean sweep at the state polls recently.

Khairy said such appointments will prove that the state government was a responsible one.

Samsuri had a few days ago said his administration will explore the possibility of having appointed assemblymen to ensure representation for certain groups. - FMT