Pak Lah most likely to get Petronas adviser’s post
(The Star) – Two prominent names in Malaysian politics have emerged as possible candidates for the Petronas post that comes with an “office in the sky”.
Putrajaya is said to be looking at former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (pic) and royal politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to fill the post of adviser to Petronas.
The post became vacant after the Cabinet terminated the tenure of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had held the position since retiring as Prime Minister in 2003.
The Cabinet brought down the axe on Dr Mahathir last week following his role alongside other opposition leaders in the citizens’ declaration which seeks to remove Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as Prime Minister.
Abdullah, 76, is seen as the favourite given that the post has gone to two previous prime ministers, namely Tun Hussein Onn and Dr Mahathir.
“The adviser’s position has traditionally been a retirement post for former PMs, so why politicise it? It is an honorary post befitting of those who have held the highest office,” said Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.
The Petronas adviser position is largely prestigious, with an office on the 86th floor pinnacle of Petronas Twin Towers.
Tengku Razaleigh, who is also Gua Musang MP, is in the picture because of his role as the first chairman and CEO of Petronas at the age of 37. He was then a rising star who helped lay the foundation and two years later became Malaysia’s youngest ever finance minister.
Speculation on Tengku Razaleigh intensified after he met Najib at the latter’s Jalan Duta residence a week ago.
The pair is believed to have met for about two hours but sources close to the prince insisted that the Petronas post was not discussed during the meeting.
When asked about it, the Kelantan prince, who will be 79 next month, said there was no need to appoint him to the post and that he was happy as he is.
He has also been tight-lipped about the meeting except to say that he had advised the Prime Minister to quash speculation and accusations by addressing issues raised by various parties from within and outside the country.
Tengku Razaleigh, who contested his first general election in 1969, also indicated that this would likely be his final term as an MP. He also made news recently when he did not take part in the citizens’ declaration.
Shahrir said he did not see any urgency to fill the post and that it would be unseemly to rush an appointment.
