By Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim

I hope the Prime Minister will clarify the statement made by a cabinet minister in his speech in Kelantan, as reported in a social media portal, that Members of Parliament from his party who have not been appointed to government positions will be given posts in GLCs and statutory agencies, meaning they will be appointed to be chairmen and members of the boards of government-linked companies and agencies.

If the statement is true, we hope the PM will also clarify what steps will be taken by his government to ensure that the political appointees meet the "fit and proper criteria" as set out in the GLC Transformation Program launched in 2005 to strengthen the governance system in public sector enterprises, particularly those operating in the market economy.

It should be noted that the GLC Transformation Program (GTP) was launched at a time when there was very low confidence in the government's management of the economy.

Although the GTP did not prevent 1 MDB and other scandals from happening, it nevertheless remains relevant as a policy tool to ensure that the government's participation in the economy through the GLCs will be guided by high standards of corporate governance.

I hope the PM will provide a clear clarification as it will determine whether the private sector will continue to be confident in Malaysia after we have successfully got over the coronavirus pandemic.

(Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim is former Secretary General of Treasury Malaysia 1991–1993).