Use care in talking about interaction with big businesses, leaders told

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arriving in Egypt on Nov 10, on one of his stops on official overseas visits this month. A commercial delegation accompanied the prime minister. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

Government leaders have been urged to exercise caution when talking about interactions with big businesses, with a political activist saying rash statements could be detrimental to the government’s image.

“A carelessly-worded speech in Parliament without details provided and which requires later clarification by a minister can lead to a damaging perception by the public,” said Thomas Fann, chairman of the Engage political reform group.

Fann said earlier reports on prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat about the involvement of a commercial delegation on his recent overseas trips could have also raised questions of conflict of interest and influence on policy.

Media reports last week quoted Anwar as saying that the cost of his trip was partly covered by the private sector and that the “government helps these companies to either import or export.”

Fann said: “Putrajaya must not only be totally beyond reproach in its interaction with big business but be perceived as such.”

His remarks came in response to a clarification by unity government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil over Anwar’s statement. Fahmi said the government chartered a Malaysia Airlines aircraft for the trips and private sector representatives who came along paid their own way. He said the arrangement was more cost-effective than the official delegation going solely by the government’s official jet.

He said Putrajaya covered the cost of the official delegation, while the commercial delegation paid their own way, making up about 73% of the total costs.

On Thursday, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that several companies had defrayed the cost of his working visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Brazil and Qatar, which also included representatives from the firms in question. The prime minister said the likes of Petronas, Sapura Energy, Yinson, and Proton had borne 70% to 80% of the cost.

Opposition party Muda later questioned how these firms were selected and whether there were any tangible benefits for these companies, while Bersatu Youth called for Anwar to be investigated. - FMT