DEPUTY Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah denies that the transfer of government-linked companies (GLCs) under his ministry to the Prime Minister’s Department is to consolidate Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s grip on the corporate sector.

He said the transfer is part of the re-organisation of the government to improve public sector efficiency.

“There is no issue of having more or less power, it is about becoming more efficient. And, at the end of the day the people will get the best service that the government can give,” he said after launching the Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel 2020 (MyHT2020) campaign in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said in the re-organisation, some ministries were combined and some ministries that had been abolished were reestablished.

Amiruddin also dismissed claims that the transfer of GLCs reduced his ministry’s power, stressing the cabinet works as a team under the prime minister.

“When Pakatan Harapan came to power, the prime minister had already put in place all the various cabinet ministers, and everyone already had their responsibilites.

“There is no issue of having more or less power, we are talking about working as a team, as the whole cabinet is working under the prime minister to deliver what is best for the people,” he said.

A news portal yesterday reported Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) senior fellow Edmund Terence Gomez as saying the number of GLCs under the Finance Ministry had reduced significantly after many were moved under the Prime Minister’s Department in what he described as “covert” re-configurations.

Gomez also claimed that the economic affairs, rural development and entrepreneur development ministries are also led by ministers allied to Dr Mahathir and have been critical in ensuring the prime minister’s grip on the corporate sector. – Bernama, October 31, 2019.