KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Annuar Musa has defended the government’s decision to appoint Wan Izzana Fatimah Zabedah Mohamad Salleh, daughter of former Umno minister Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, as independent non-executive director of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
Addressing the matter in the Dewan Rakyat, the communications and multimedia minister said the appointment was made based on her merit as a highly-qualified woman.
Besides having graduated from Imperial College London and Harvard University, he said Wan Izzana also has a good track record and experience in the industry.
He said it would be unfair to harass Wan Izzana for her link to Shahrizat, maintaining that she should be given the opportunity to hold the position in MDEC.
“Currently, she is being linked to problems faced by her family. I think we need to be fair,” he said in his ministry’s winding-up speech for the Budget 2022 debate at the committee stage today.
“As parents, if we face any issue, we won’t want our young children to be harassed – especially when they have certain merits. Her (Wan Izzana) appointment is based on merit.
Annuar said her appointment under the Finance Ministry was done in accordance with existing laws, and that his ministry welcomes the new addition.
He was responding to queries from several MPs during the debate earlier over Wan Izzana’s appointment into MDEC.
Her recent appointment as non-executive director had courted flak, with many noting that Wan Izzana has been named as a defendant in a government suit to recover RM253.6 million owed by National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFC) – a case linked to Shahrizat and her husband Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail.
Wan Izzana was an NFC board member at the time when millions of funds were allegedly siphoned.
Unimpressed by Annuar’s explanation, Kasthuri Patto (Batu Kawan-PH) said Wan Izzana already holds a directorship at TalentCorp Malaysia and is a Social Security Organisation panel member.
She said the two appointments alone would have been too much for one person, questioning if Wan Izzana would be able to cope with the workload – especially with many more other qualified individuals available.
To this, Annuar said: “In terms of qualification, it is clear that she is qualified. In fact, she’s more than qualified.
“Also, since her appointment is non-executive, this means she won’t be sitting in the office all day. She doesn’t have the power to conduct day-to-day operations.
“And as we all know, anyone can be appointed (as a) director for multiple companies, it’s not a problem.” – The Vibes, December 8, 2021
