I’ve resigned from PKR, says new MACC chief Latheefa

(FMT) – Newly appointed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Latheefa Koya today said she has quit PKR.

But the party’s secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution, said he is in the dark about it and that as far as he knew, she was still a member.

This comes amid calls from civil society groups for Latheefa to quit the party following her appointment as MACC chief commissioner for two years effective June 1.

“Thanks for the advice. But I have already sent in my resignation with immediate effect as an ordinary member of PKR yesterday, upon being told of my impending appointment as MACC chief,” she said in a tweet.

Speaking to FMT, Saifuddin, the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, said he was “in the dark” over Latheefa’s appointment, replacing Shukri Abdull.

Meanwhile, Selayang MP William Leong, who heads the Parlimentary Select Committee on public appointments, said he was not aware about Latheefa’s appointment and only knew about it once it was announced today.

“We already have a committee (to scrutinise public appointments). This should have been announced to our committee so we could review it,” he told FMT.

Leong said it was decided that a select committee would be formed to scrutinise such appointments, adding that this was spelt out in Pakatan Harapan’s GE14 manifesto.

“I will call an emergency meeting immediately to discuss this matter and we will be in contact with the government,” he said, adding that this will take place after Hari Raya.

Earlier, Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah questioned if Latheefa’s appointment as the new MACC chief had gone through the Parliamentary Select Committee on appointments to government agencies.

“There needs to be better transparency on appointments,” she said when commenting on the PKR central committee member’s appointment as the new MACC chief.

Other civil society groups and activists including Bersih 2.0, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), and former Transparency International Malaysia president Ramon Navaratnam also said Latheefa should resign from the party.

Latheefa replaces Mohd Shukri Abdull, whose contract was allowed to expire ahead of its deadline on May 17, 2020.