17-10-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) A wave of public outcry has swept across Malaysian social media following the appointment of Nooryana Najwa Najib, the 36-year-old daughter of imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak, to the board of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade). The appointment, announced on Tuesday, has ignited a fierce debate over nepotism and the state of Malaysia’s meritocracy.
Nooryana, whose father is currently serving a six-year sentence for corruption related to the 1MDB scandal, was sworn in at Matrade’s Kuala Lumpur office, taking an anti-corruption oath as part of the process. The announcement, made by Matrade chairman Reezal Merican Naina Merican, a former member of Najib’s cabinet, has drawn widespread condemnation from the public.
Critics have raised concerns about the optics of appointing the offspring of a leader convicted of graft to a government role, particularly one overseeing Malaysia’s export trade. Social commentator Jehan Abu Bakar expressed on X (formerly Twitter) that this appointment “cast clouds over Malaysia’s meritocracy,” adding that it could lead to “widespread distrust in public institutions.”
Questions have also been raised about Nooryana’s qualifications for the role. Her past includes an internship at private equity firm TPG Capital, which came under scrutiny during the 1MDB investigations. Tim Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs banker involved in the scandal, testified in 2022 that he arranged the internship at Najib’s request, in exchange for lucrative bond deals.
Nooryana’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and master’s degrees from the Wharton School of Business and Harvard Kennedy School. However, critics argue that her work experience does not justify her appointment to such a significant role in trade development.
The controversy has also reignited criticism of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reform agenda. Many have drawn parallels to the appointment of Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, as a senior economic and finance adviser earlier this year. These incidents have led some to question the sincerity of Anwar’s anti-corruption stance, with one Facebook user, Edmund Kong, declaring that “Anwar’s ‘reformasi’ is dead.”
