YOURSAY | Arguments aside, can Nurul Izzah do the job?

YOURSAY | ’Compared to other appointees in the past, she is more competent’.

Is Nurul Izzah as adviser good governance, Bersatu Youth leader asks PM

E Kumar: On the contrary, one cannot categorise this particular appointment of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s eldest daughter Nurul Izzah as his senior adviser on economics and finance as nepotism as she gains absolutely nothing from taking up this position. It is akin to when charitable lawyers represent clients for no fees whatsoever. Nurul is being altruistic with her time and effort for Malaysia.

She will be giving up a lot in serving the nation, but she is willing to do it because she loves her country and wants to see her succeed. Of course, given the trials and tribulations her father has been subjected to, she wants to see him succeed in his push for reforms as well. One cannot deny that Nurul is an impressive youth leader and one of Malaysia’s brightest minds.

Her counsel in matters she’s been trained on her whole life will only prove beneficial to the nation. We can debate the fact that Anwar can appoint many other bright minds and experts in the subject of finance and economy, and I’m sure he has more than just Nurul as his adviser but no one in the right mind will be willing to do it for free. We should feel embarrassed that we are using her this way to our benefit.

Lionking: So many comments about all these opposition leaders and almost not even qualified to make comments. So what if PKR vice-president Nurul is appointed as an adviser? At least she is smart and intelligent. Don’t forget that almost all departments are helmed by little napoleons.

The prime minister needs people who can be trusted. What about when PAS and Bersatu were in power, there were more than 70 ministers, and what were they doing? Nothing was moving, and what did Ismail Sabri Yaakob do except parade himself with gaudy exorbitant shirts?

Then we had Abdul Hadi Awang who become a special envoy to the Middle East and that too was considered a ministerial-level appointment. What were his achievements? The Saudis did not welcome him. All that will cost the country millions. What about the billions squandered by the then government?

The prime minister should get the appropriate agencies to apply rule of law on all corruption cases and abuses. Don’t delay and that will keep them quiet. Replace certain heads for better performance We are in safer hands now and even the ringgit has improved. I am for Nurul to work because she is trustworthy and intelligent and is sure she will do a better job than many in the opposition camp.

As rightly said by the prime minister, most of the opposition leaders are not qualified and only harp on religion and race.

Coward: There are still going to be some public funds used relating to the setup and running of her office. However, you are right that one important distinction here is she is not receiving any compensation for her work.

Compared to other appointees in the past, she is more competent. Because of that, the accusation that she is a waste of public funds is not going to stick. Also, while we do not want nepotism, at the same time we must ensure being related to a leader is not an excuse to disqualify competent people. I am willing to give her the benefit of doubt for the time being. Her past performance says that my trust is not misplaced.

It's good for the Bersatu Youth wing's information chief Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir to ask the question. We must ask ourselves the same question with every appointment of Anwar, Nurul or not. But unlike us, Ashraf must go further and tell us why he thinks Nurul is not qualified, or recommend someone more qualified.

Otherwise, it is asking for the sake of asking the question. It also brings us no closer to answering the question. It makes it looks like he is opposing for the sake of opposing. To his and your question that Anwar should just ask her at home, my answer to you is he is already doing that and will continue to do so during and after her appointment.

It's not that I have the privilege to observe those in his household, but it is a matter of common sense. There are several purposes to that appointment instead of an informal approach.

The first is to acknowledge her contribution. Second, to get her focus on the topic rather than just do it on an ad hoc basis. Third, to give her the resources to do the work. Lastly, to train her to hold public office. These are the things you cannot do in a kitchen counter conversation. For the last point, you can argue she might not get the opportunity had she not been the daughter of Anwar.

For that, I can only acknowledge that there is some truth in your argument, and counter-argue that she has done enough to deserve the opportunity.

Ex-wfw: It may be seen as nepotistic but being pro bono, it becomes a matter of trust between the adviser and the prime minister. After all, she had been fighting at his side for over two decades and even if she isn't his daughter such trust would have been built. With her academic background, she is certainly more qualified than many ex-Perikatan Nasional ministers.

It would appear such comments against her appointment are for political mileage. Let's see if she can deliver though I am sure many voters across the nation thought she has the calibre to be prime minister.

MS: How much advice from how many advisers does Anwar (who has never stopped boasting about his eight years as finance minister) need? Aren't the formidable skills and insights of ex-Petronas chief Hassan Merican not good enough?

Is Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli useless in strategising short- and long-term solutions for the economy? Are the known and reputed experts in macro and micro economic policy matters like Jomo Sundaram and Terrance Gomez simply outdated?

What about the considerable intellectual wealth residing in the decades-old Malaysian Economic Association, Bank Negara and the Treasury itself? What unique advice will she provide that none of the above can?

This calculated misuse of his office to extend a political lifeline to his daughter Nurul Izzah is very much a sophisticated form of corruption.

She may not be paid a dime but she will have access to and benefit from all the perks of office, and more importantly, an inside view of the goings-on in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Petronas, Bursa, Bank Negara and the lot... only because she is the daughter of the prime minister who lost in the 15th general election.

Seriously, it appears to be the fate of Malaysians to be serially conned by their hastily-deified leaders – former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib Abdul Razak, Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri and now saudara Reformasi who is craftily using the green bogeyman to justify his self-serving tactics.

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