Nepotism? Malaysians call out PM Anwar for appointing his daughter as ‘senior adviser’

Nurul Izzah Anwar (left). PM Anwar Ibrahim (right).
Nurul Izzah Anwar (left). PM Anwar Ibrahim (right).

As a government that preaches transparency and zero-tolerance for corruption, it came as a shocker when the public was made aware that prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar was appointed as one of his senior advisers. 

Nurul recently revealed to a local news daily that she had been serving the role as adviser on economics and finance since Jan. 3. 

She was previously a two-term MP, Lembah Pantai (2008-2018) and Permatang Pauh (2018-2022). 

The news caused outrage among social media users who described the appointment as nepotism, a practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.

In Anwar’s defence of her daughter not having any sort of qualification relating to finance and economics, he said he too was a Finance Minister for eight years without holding a finance degree. Nurul only has a second degree in public policy from John Hopkins University. 

Although it was made clear by her father that Nurul is not on any sort of payroll, the public said the practice would only enable such appointments in the future. 

FYI, the administration already has a qualified Economics Minister aka Rafizi Ramli. 

Malaysia is no stranger to nepotism, the country has seen such appointments numerous times. However, some social media users argued that they should see Nurul Izzah’s appointment as more than just her father’s daughter. 

“… better off to be just a housewife then?”

What do you think of her appointment? Let us know in the comments! 

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