DAP: Nazri abusing his power
Nazri has no power to order GLCs to stop suing ex-MAS boss Tajuddin Ramli, the DAP said.
(Free Malaysia Today) – The DAP has attacked Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz for ordering government-linked companies (GLCs) to cease suing a former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) executive chairman Tajuddin Ramli.
PJ Utara MP Tony Pua ticked off Nazri for using his influence as a minister to let Tajuddin off the hook.
“Such an instruction from a minister’s office, especially one with no authority of the various GLCs including MAS, Telekom and Prokhas (formerly Danaharta) is… highly improper and at worst an illegal and corrupt practice,” he said in a press statement.
He said that this move allowed Tajuddin to get away with billions of ringgit in debt, withou having to suffer any consequences.
According to a Malaysian Insider report, Nazri said that he had issued a directive for all GLCs aggrieved by Tajuddin to withdraw their suits earlier this month.
Denying that it was a bailout, the minister said that the move was an attempt to reach a “win-win” situation between Tajuddin and the various GLCs.
Quoting Nazri, Pua said: “…the finance ministry has agreed to settle all civil claims against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and others to be withdrawn immediately in view of the fact that the government and the finance ministry have agreed that the said cases will be settled out of court.”
Complete mockery
This reasoning did not sit well with Pua. GLCs, he said, had their own board of directors to deal with problems, adding that Nazri had no right to be giving instructions to them.
“His directive to these GLCs made a complete mockery of corporate governance in these companies, and will only turn away local and foreign investors,” Pua said.
He said that Nazri could be investigated under Section 2(1) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance.
