STEER clear in the future of appointing family members to certain positions in the government, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said.

Sinar Harian reported that the PKR deputy president was aware of criticisms levelled against Nurul Izzah Anwar and Mohammed Iqbal Johari who were appointed to government positions.

“I am of the view any government in the future needs to avoid these kind of things. However, in the case of Nurul Izzah and Iqbal, the appointments have already been made and they do not involve public funds.

“What we hope now is that they prove they will bring added value. I’m sure they have their own respective roles,” he was quoted as saying.

Last week, Nurul Izzah confirmed her appointment as senior economic and financial adviser to the prime minister, adding that she began her service on January 3.

The announcement received much criticism with some describing it as nepotism.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defended the appointment of his daughter and said it was made based on her qualifications.

Iqbal was appointed special functions officer to Dewan Rakyat speaker Johari Abdul.

Johari also defended his son’s appointment, saying Iqbal has the qualifications and experience, and has helped him for the past 14 years.

Political secretary to the prime minister Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin claimed that the appointments were made an issue by the opposition to divert public attention on the development plans that the government is making.

The Pandan MP admitted he was aware of criticism from various parties against the two appointments.

He said public views (on this matter) need to be given due attention.

“At the PKR level we hope to move on. The challenge now lies with Nurul and Iqbal to prove that they have added value to perform,” he said. – February 5, 2023.