“I have been alerted. Let me check on it. There should not be any conflict of interest.
“If it is established, then I will make (the necessary) adjustments, as I have made with the chief of Keda,” he said, referring to former Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim’s appointment as Kedah Regional Development Authority (Keda) chairman, which has since been put on hold.
Anwar was speaking to reporters after meeting civil servants here.
The prime minister’s comment also comes a week after natural resources, environment and climate change minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad defended Rashdan’s appointment saying he wanted the latter to “shake things up”.
Industry players and businesses have expressed concern over Rashdan’s appointment, as he is a deputy managing director of Gamuda Bhd, a company that has a stake in the renewable energy business.
Economist Barjoyai Bardai of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak also warned Putrajaya that investor confidence would be dampened by questionable appointments, saying it must be consistent when making appointments to key regulatory bodies.
Gamuda is a major player in the renewable energy space, and as recently as last December, announced that it was spending RM2 billion to grow its renewable energy business.
So far, it has acquired a 30% stake in ERS Energy Sdn Bhd, a company involved in solar energy.
Meanwhile, Anwar dismissed calls for Penang to have a Malay chief minister after the upcoming state polls, saying the post should be given based on merit, not race.
He added that the main issue was whether government leaders were able to ensure good governance when in power.
By convention, the Penang chief minister has been of Chinese descent.
According to statistics department data for 2018, the Chinese community make up 41.3% of the state’s population, followed by the Malays (41%), Indians (8.9%), others (0.7%), and foreigners (8.1%).
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