Wanita PKR vice-chief says appointment at PKA not confirmed

January 8, 2024

Wanita PKR vice-chief says appointment at PKA not confirmed

PETALING JAYA: Wanita PKR vice-chief Sangetha Jayakumar says her appointment as a board member of the Port Klang Authority (PKA) has yet to be confirmed, despite the wing’s chief, Fadhlina Sidek, congratulating her in a poster circulating on social media.

Earlier, Malay Mail described Sangetha’s appointment as a “political appointment” in a government-run enterprise, despite PKR and Pakatan Harapan having repeatedly pledged to limit such practices.

“I won’t respond yet because I haven’t seen any black and white (appointment letter) for now,” she told FMT when asked about criticism over her appointment.

PKA’s chairman is Ean Yong Hian Wah, the Selangor DAP deputy chairman and a former three-term Seri Kembangan assemblyman.

Election reform group Bersih previously urged the government to “carefully reconsider” Ean Yong’s appointment, stating that it should be based on merit and free of political influence.

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In a separate poster circulating on X, Fadhlina congratulated Wanita PKR deputy chief Juwairiya Zulkifli on her appointment as the deputy chairman of the National Population and Family Development Board.

“After all the men who have been appointed to various positions, they (PKR) are now nominating women. In previous appointments, more than 90% were assigned to men,” said Sangetha.

“For me, it is good that PKR empowers and appoints women to leadership positions. Having more women in leadership positions is always good for the country.”

Sangetha is the daughter of Dr Xavier Jayakumar, a former PKR vice-president and Kuala Langat MP, who had been with the party since 1998.

The water, land and natural resources minister during the Pakatan Harapan administration from 2018 to 2020, Xavier quit PKR in 2021 to support then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin as an independent. He joined Parti Bangsa Malaysia in 2022.