KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — PKR today declared its support for Selangor’s Darul Ehsan Investment Group (DEIG), with the proviso that the state-owned firm takes steps to make it more accountable to the public.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli said good governance must be entrenched in DEIG’s operations, which includes having independent members on its board.

“The issue is bigger, the issue is governance. It is incumbent upon PKR and the leadership of the state government to prove to the public that our governance is a lot better,” he said at a news conference here.

“That includes to constitute a very independent governance in the company not just at the board level but also at the management and investment level,” he added.

As an example, he said DEIG should allow independent opinions to ensure that there isn’t “too much political influence” when dealing with investments.

He said it was expected to have senior civil servants and MPs on the board, but also proposed having more independent members to balance out the numbers and create a more balanced mix.

The Pandan MP also said that the scrutiny DEIG was facing was good as it gave the company an opportunity to implement proper checks and balances, which could influence how other state investment firms operate.

“It’s a blessing in disguise albeit a diversion, but it opens up an avenue where we can point out that the model for state investment vehicles has to be relooked in its entirety so that the checks and balances are all in place and there is no excessive investment by the Executive who can make bad decisions for the public,” he said.

Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali previously said on Friday that DEIG has been inactive since it was established three months ago and will remain so until a structure for governing it is in place.

DEIG is expected to absorb the state’s assets currently under the Mentri Besar Incorporated (MBI).

Criticism against DEIG have largely revolved around it being set up as a company as opposed to MBI, which has to adhere to an enactment of its own that requires it to be answerable to the state government.

Parallels have also been drawn by Umno members between DEIG and debt-riddled 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull said that the commission would be gathering information and monitoring how DEIG would operate before determining if there are elements of corruption involved.