Minister Confirms Viral Support Letter Acknowledges Nepotism Concern

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A copy of a letter of support written by Deputy Defence Minister Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz purportedly asking for his son to be appointed into Pharmaniaga's board of directors has gone viral on social media yesterday
The letter addressed to Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was dated June 5, 2020, and contained a handwritten note by Ismail where he minuted to the chairperson of the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT), giving his nod to the suggestion
When contacted by Malaysiakini on Friday evening, Ismail confirmed the authenticity of the letter and his note saying "I agree"
The Bera MP said that he had lent his support to Ikmal Hisham's son Ikmal Hazlan (above) given the man's experience in business and politics
"Yes, I did give my support. He (Hazlan) is a businessperson, so his experience can be useful. Politically, he is also an Umno Youth exco member," Ismail said
However, when asked by Malaysiakini if this could raise the issue of nepotism given that Hazlan is the son of his deputy, Ismail agreed this was an issue of concern
According to Ismail (above), this was why he stopped short at only minuting his support without following through with Hazlan's appointment
"Yes (I agree this could be nepotism). This was why I did not appoint him," said Ismail
It is learned that the pharmaceutical company had several vacancies in its board of directors following the recent retirement of three of its members, prior to the company's annual general meeting on July 20
The company had later appointed three new members (below), as per its announcement to Bursa Malaysia on Aug 3. They are Azhar Ahmad, Najmil Faiz Mohamed Aris, and Zulkifli Jafar
Malaysiakini has contacted Ikmal Hisham for his comments on the matter
For the record, Pharmaniaga's majority shareholder is Boustead Holdings. The LTAT, in turn, holds a majority stake in Boustead as well as a smaller stake in Pharmaniaga
According to a LinkedIn profile that purportedly belongs to Ikmal Hazlan, his work experience includes being the managing director of a car dealership, and the chairperson of the Malaysia Economic and Social Committee in the Malaysia Youth Parliament
He is also listed as holding the position of executive director at a capital company, and managing director of another car dealership business that specialises in luxury vehicles
Meanwhile, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) has condemned the issuance of the support letter
Its founding director Cynthia Gabriel told Malaysiakini that such action was an abuse of power, and called on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to take stern action
"If this is legit, the Perikatan Nasional government and especially Prime Minister Muhyiddin has a lot to answer for
"Firstly this is a clear abuse of power by the deputy minister. Issuing support letters is very unwelcomed if the prime minister's pledges to cut corruption are to be taken seriously
"It defeats competition and denies those with no political connections a chance to succeed and shine
"Promoting nepotism is the most dangerous enabler to corruption. Muhyiddin must take stern action immediately," she said when contacted for comments. - Mkini

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