He said each component party in the Anwar Ibrahim-led government would first consult the secretariat before any appointments could be finalised.

The secretariat is led by former Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who was recently appointed as the new Mara chairman.

“To avoid conflict, we consult the secretariat and before the appointment is made, the secretariat will check and scrutinise the backgrounds of the individuals.

“This is done to ensure the representatives of the political parties have the experience and background that can help strengthen the state and federal governments,” Zahid was quoted as saying by Bernama.

He was speaking to reporters in Bentong, Pahang, after introducing candidates for the posts of permanent chairman, permanent deputy chairman, vice-presidents and Supreme Council members for the Umno elections.

Besides Asyraf, former deputy tourism, arts and culture minister Bakhtiar Wan Chik was appointed as chairman of MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd last week.

Yesterday, Ahmad Sabki Yusof, the former political secretary to Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub, was appointed as the new chairman of the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).

The political appointments have been heavily criticised, with electoral reform group Bersih slamming Anwar’s government for continuing the practice despite the PKR president’s push for reforms over the past two decades.

Bersih chief Thomas Fann said the appointments smacked of political patronage and was a disservice to voters if they involved current elected representatives.