Outrage over latest 'political appointment' as Hannah Yeoh's ex-aide named CEO of Putrajaya's talent agency

The announcement that a former political secretary to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh would lead an agency under a ministry headed by a DAP leader has sparked public outrage on social media, prompting a flurry of responses from the party's cybertroopers to defend the appointment.

Edward Ling was named the new Group CEO of TalentCorp, the headhunting agency established by the Najib Razak administration, which is now placed under the human resources ministry led by DAP Penang chief and deputy secretary-general Steven Sim.

While the government-controlled national news agency Bernama did not make any mention of Ling's political background, social media users were quick to uncover his past roles in DAP, as well as posts from Yeoh referencing him.

Many said they were not surprised, given how the Pakatan Harapan-led government has backtracked on its promise to end politically linked appointments since coming to power in 2022.

"When they first came to power, they said there would be no political appointments. Now, it's okay. It's normal not to walk the talk. Now with power, everything is allowed," said Arman Armani on X, among hundreds of comments on various social media platforms.

Amid growing criticism, a barrage of cybertroopers soon surfaced to defend the appointment, listing Ling's professional credentials.

"This has been going on since Umno times. At least he has a decorated resume unlike some of the appointments," said a DAP cybertrooper.

Another user wrote: "The Madani principle. We can, others cannot."

An X account using the name Philip Yong was quick with an answer: "Say what you want, but don't deny his capabilities."

MalaysiaNow is trying to reach Ling for a response.

A statement from TalentCorp said Ling held "leadership roles" at LinkedIn, Waze, Google and L'Oréal Malaysia, adding that he played "a key role in strengthening digital capabilities, fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, and developing the regional talent ecosystem".

"With his appointment, TalentCorp aims to further drive the nation's talent transformation agenda through closer collaboration between industry, government and global partners," the agency said.

TalentCorp was first announced by Najib in 2010 and placed under the Prime Minister's Department as part of his National Transformation Policy to address the brain drain and attract talents from Malaysians abroad.

Ling is not the only DAP-linked appointee in TalentCorp. Its current chairman, Wong Shu Qi, is also the Johor DAP deputy chief and the party's assistant national publicity secretary.

Just a month after taking power, the Anwar government announced the immediate termination of political appointees at statutory bodies, finance ministry companies and government-linked firms.

However, what followed was a series of political appointments, most of which are seen as rewarding ruling party members who failed to win any seat at the 2022 general election.

Last year, a think tank said there had been 135 political appointments in statutory bodies up to September 2024, and 283 such appointments in government-linked companies less than a year after PH came to power.

"Malaysia currently lacks a transparent, merit-based appointment mechanism. Appointments can be used for political gain and for dishing out sinecures. It can result in poor oversight and management of these entities, further eroding public trust in Malaysia’s governance structure," said the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, or IDEAS.

PH leaders and the coalition's election manifestos have consistently included a promise to end political appointments to GLCs and state-owned agencies, calling for merit-based criteria.

Critics say the reversal on political appointments is just one of many promises that Anwar's government has failed to fulfil.