SHAH ALAM: Khalid Samad (pic) said he will reconsider whether political appointees on the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Advisory Board can continue in their posts, if he is appointed Federal Territories Minister.
However, the Shah Alam MP said he is not "in a hurry" to revamp the board.
Khalid, who has been tipped to helm the FT Ministry, said the advisory board members should be elected based on professional merit.
“If I do get the post, I will look into their professional capabilities first. Political allegiance is no longer a factor now,” he added.
The ministry, he added, needed sound advice from the board for the growth and development direction of the ministry as well.
He said if the appointments had been based on merit, they may be retained.
The current board members were appointed by the previous administration, with more than half of them political appointees of Barisan Nasional.
StarMetro previously reported that 13 people from the previous administration were still listed as members (until 2019).
Out of the 13, eight are political appointees from the former Barisan government.
There are representatives from the Bukit Bintang, Seputeh, Bandar Tun Razak and Putrajaya Umno divisions, and one representative each from MCA, Gerakan, MIC and MyPPP.
When asked to confirm his FT Ministry appointment, Khalid remained tight-lipped.
He said there could be changes since the call he received from Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a week old.
“As I mentioned before, Tun M called me last Tuesday asking me if I was willing to take up a minister role in a specific role, and I said yes. However, it is subject to change,” he stressed.
Khalid explained that his appointment was subject to the approval of the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council and the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong as well.
Did you find this article insightful?
