Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email I’m disgusted with the comments from PKNS staff-bodies and also the information revealed by MB Khalid Ibrahim. Selangor, being the most modern state, its coffers being filled by sweat and toil of all its rakyat (plus millons of foreign workers) and PKNS is for Malays? I think all those staff should be sacked. There are thousands of other Selangorians who are looking for work. Let them work for development of the state.
The worse is the racist attitude of their staff who oppose the appointment of current Finance and Corporate deputy general manager Low Siew Moi, 57, (trained accountant working for PKNS for 35 YEARS!) who will have her annual contract extended to replace the existing GM – Datuk Harun Salim, whose annual contract expires this Thursday. His contract is not extended, as he is 60. Harun retired in mid-2003 and will have to leave the government entity in compliance with the Public Services Department’s age requirement.
Low is to be given a one year contract.
According to the 6 staff bodies:
In their joint memorandum dated Oct 25 to Khalid, the staff associations said: “PKNS was established for Malays and to fulfill the Malay agenda. Because of this, the organisation needs to be led by a Malay.”
The document was signed by the respective heads of associations of senior officers, executive officers and workers; the sports and recreation club; Islamic association, and staff welfare body.
“The associations, unions and welfare bodies do not deny the capabilities of Low Siew Moi (left) in the management of finance,” they said.
“However, leading PKNS would need certain leadership criteria, among them, rapport with all staff and associations and ability to communicate with different levels of personnel.”
The memorandum stated that, as PKNS conducts activities that are spiritual in nature, its leader must understand and practice Islamic values.
“In other words, the one who will become the general manager will be the ‘imam’ for all the staff,” the signatories said.
Urging Khalid to retract Low’s appointment, they said they would only extend full support if current deputy general manager in charge of administration and development – Md Nasir Md Arshad – is promoted to general manager.
Since when is PKNS is for Malays? All Selangorians must make a police report against this seditious statements which threaten racial harmony. This is what happens when the organisation is being monopolised by certain race only. Other people don’t exist in their eyes.
This is another classic example of making use of religion for discrimination. If want to have an imam, hire one specifically la. Don’t bog down the leader with extra work. Or when it comes to religious events, ask a representative to attend. All this petty excuse of serve to increase the contempt and anger against government bodies like PKNS. Let us not go into government agencies.
The staff also issued a veiled threat to MB Khalid that they won’t support the Low if she is appointed. Isn’t that considered treason or something? The staff have a responsibilty to the rakyat, not to pick sides or decide who can lead them.
The reason given by Khalid is that they cannot afford to have both Low and Harun to retire at the same time. He said its for one year while they look for a ” bumiputra person with high calibre and ethics and someone who is committed to lead the state’s business arm.”. As Haris Ibrahim asked : Is it not enough that the individual is a person ‘with high calibre and
ethics and someone who is committed to lead the state’s business arm’? Why need to have a racist and discriminative policy? Isn’t this depriving other Selangorians of getting the job? If this is not discrimination, what is?
Khalid also revealed two other facts:
1. a group of senior officers have 30% shares in PKNS subsidiary – PKNS Infra Sdn Bhd, which will possibly lead to biased decision, cronyism, corruption, etc. Is this what PKNS’s version of Islam and spirituality all about? Can the staff bodies answer this?
2. 75% of projects awarded by PKNS were given to non-bumiputra firms either directly or indirectly. Now, there’s two things here. Firstly, since the staff bodies boldly claim that PKNS is for Malays and Malay agenda, how can this happen? So, they are not doing their jobs (their version)? Secondly, what’s wrong with work being done by non-bumiputras? As long as the job is done correctly, people will be happy. The old way of allocating to bumiputra should be discarded. The Pakatan Rakyat government should encourage award of project based on competency, capability, track record. Don’t be like previous leadership.
If PKNS is only to serve bumiputra businessmen, then better Selangorians boycott PKNS. Why should we support racist organisations?
Don’t worry, these are just haunting remnants of the legacy left behind by a toyol spirit who use to spearhead this organization. Get a real imam and exorcise the evil spirits still left behind by that toyol and we shall be free of demonic attitudes like this.
Poobalan
I think we ought to look at the macro and longer term impacts of this issue.
A lot of people had voted for and are still supporting Pakatan Rakyat on the basic of it being a multi-ethnic coalition and non-racial.
However Khalid’s as well as PAS’s comments clearly shows that the policy has not deviated from what was practised by Khir Toyo’s administration.
I have yet to see any of PR’s state govt’s truly carrying out policies different from BN other than some token efforts here and there.
Selangor would be worse off since Chinese dominated DAP and Malay dominated PKR and PAS will share the spoils among themselves. In fact this is already happening.
Worse of all, the senior leaders in state bodies being replaced with political appointees. The only reason why Mdm Low has been appointed as the stand-in GM is that she would not be aligned to UMNO in any way. She will be there until suitable PAS / PKR members are found to replace her.
I am also surprised that no one is saying anything about the clear and heavy political inteference in the appointment as PAS is clearly is intent on putting their people in. Also behind the scene, there is heavy lobbying among PKR to put in their candidate.