Anwar appoints aide's father to head finance ministry's MyHSR Corp

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has named the father of one of his political secretaries as chairman of MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd (MyHSR Corp), a government company formed in 2015 to develop the long-stalled high-speed rail (HSR) project.

Fauzi Abdul Rahman, a former PKR MP, is the father of Farhan Fauzi – a political secretary to the prime minister who doubles as the finance minister.

The appointment, effective June 22, is a continuation of several controversial political appointments by ruling parties and comes months after Anwar's decision to pick his eldest daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar as an adviser at the finance ministry sparked controversy.

Fauzi is a former Pahang Umno leader who served as deputy minister under the Barisan Nasional government, before switching to PKR in 2008 and later becoming the party's Pahang chairman.

He is currently Pahang PKR's adviser.

In a statement today, MyHSR said Fauzi served on the board of Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd between 2018 and 2021 and is "well-versed in the development and challenges within the industry".

The company's CEO Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal meanwhile said Fauzi's "long history of astute leadership and unwavering commitment to positive growth will strengthen the group's resolve in bringing the project to fruition".

The HSR project was proposed by former prime minister Najib Razak in 2010 to link Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It was supposed to be fully completed by 2026.

However, the project was delayed after the then-ruling party, Barisan Nasional, lost in the 14th general election in 2018.

When the Pakatan Harapan coalition took over the federal government, the prime minister at that time, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, announced that the project would be temporarily postponed due to high costs.

On Sept 5, 2018, however, the government announced that the HSR operations would recommence in January 2031.

The project was later cancelled under the administration of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 1, 2021.