Political appointees should not be running the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad says.

Commenting on reports that Umno member Mazlan Ismail will replace Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi as chief executive officer of MCMC, Nik Nazmi said if true, it would be a “very disturbing development”.

Although he said this had nothing to do with Mazlan’s personal qualifications, the public interest would be better served, Nik Nazmi added, if crucial regulatory bodies are headed by technocrats.

“This is especially true for the MCMC, which oversees Malaysia’s increasingly crucial online sphere,” he said in a statement today.

“It is important that all of MCMC’s decisions and actions are undertaken without the slightest suspicion of political favour or bias.”

Nik Nazmi, who is a Selangor state executive councillor, argued that a non-political appointee would also ensure that the country’s freedom of speech would not be eroded further.

“As such, I hope both the relevant bodies in the federal government and MCMC will provide the public with clarification on this matter immediately,” he said.

Mazlan ( left ), a former Telekom Malaysia Bhd vice-president, contested the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in the last general election.

Utusan Malaysia editor Zulkifli Jalil said in a commentary that Sharil’s contract was not renewed because MCMC under his watch had given free reign to those Zulkifli claimed had allegedly incited racial hatred, thereby failing in its role as a regulator.