Anwar tells why he retained Azam Baki as MACC chief

He said his decision to retain Azam, who was appointed by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, was also due to the fact that the MACC is an independent body.

(FMT) – Anwar Ibrahim said he decided against replacing Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki to break the convention that a change of guard in the agency was necessary when a new prime minister is appointed.

He said his decision to retain Azam, who was appointed by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, was also due to the fact that the MACC is an independent body.

“That is why when I assumed power, I chose not to change the MACC chief commissioner chosen by Pagoh (Muhyiddin), so as to avoid the impression that a new prime minister would pick a new MACC chief,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

He said he did not mind leaving it to the relevant parliamentary committee to decide if a new MACC chief should be appointed or Azam’s contract be extended.

Anwar also said the government will consider placing MACC under Parliament as mooted by Transparency International (TI).

However, he said, the proposal must first be studied by the Attorney-General’s Chambers and other government agencies before being further deliberated by a parliamentary committee.

“If this process is done in time, then I have no problem with this. But the process must be respected,” he said.

He was answering a question on TI’s proposal to park MACC under Parliament to ensure transparency.

Earlier, Anwar assured the Dewan Rakyat MACC is independent, adding that it has five oversight bodies to provide checks and balances.