Malaysiakini informed us that Selangor MB sacks vice-chancellor of the University Industri Selangor (Unisel), the state-owned university.
Vice-chancellor Professor Dr Mohd Razali Agus has found himself without a job after he received a letter of termination of services from Pendidikan Industri Yayasan Selangor Sdn Bhd/Unisel chairperson Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (also the MB).
Malaysiakini added that The Selangor Today website claimed that Razali Agus wrote to Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin recently to say that he was uncomfortable with the Pakatan Rakyat state government.
Alas, it seemed the letter had found its way to the state government.
I believe the MB has a right to dismiss any State employee provided the sacking was done in accordance with due process and without untoward prejudice. Razali Agus can always appeal or take the MB to court for unfair dismissal.
I recall another MB, Nizar of Perak, being terribly embarrassed by the Sultan (through the Regent) when not too long ago he dismissed a State public servant for refusing to work with the new PR State government.
Because the dismissed chap was a director of a State religious department, the Sultan exercised his so-called royal prerogative on matters of State religion and revoked the dismissal, and publicly reprimanded Nizar while demanding the public servant be reinstated in his job.
Nizar complied. Now that his State ‘CEO’ authority has been right royally undermined by the Sultan, how in the world is he going to manage the recalcitrant official?
2 questions:
(a) Did the Sultan have to publicly humiliate Nizar and undermine his MB’s authority?
The Sultan could have still made his point about the need for the MB to consult HRH before sacking any religious officer.
Karpal Singh had been absolutely correct for speaking out against royal interference with politics and political decisions/management. Even though the man was the director of a State religious department, his sacking was not related to religious matters but rather his political behaviour as a State public servant - certainly that would then be within the powers and right of the MB to dismiss him.
The MB and his exco has been elected by the rakyat and in a democratic constitutional monarchy, the voice of the people (expressed through their elected repesentatives) is supreme.
There were the usual politically motvated calls, no doubt from BN, to charge Karpal with lèse majesty.
But any royalty who brings him/herself incorrectly down into the political arena must be prepared to accept political criticism. Lawful political dissent and criticisms are the supreme right of the rakyat.
The royal person who wants to play politics shouldn’t expect to enjoy royal immunity from the laws (including a legal suit) or claim that those who criticise him/her have been guilty of lèse majesty, treason or affronting his/her royal person.
... and (note the contrast) ...
(b) When a while ago, the State's Chief Mufti was involved with seditious incitement of Muslims against an innocent church gathering, where was HRH when we needed him most?
KT, I think you are encroaching into a very dangerous subject here.
ReplyDeleteOne must realized that in matters pertaining to the appointment of religious official, it is clearly under the prerogative of the Sultan.
The non-renewal of the VC contract solely under the prerogative of the MB. It is a two separate matters.
Let us not got carried away, as the role of the Sultan is not ceremonial in Malaysia. Sultan is the head of state and also the head of the Islamic Authority in all of the states with Sultans.
I think let us not compare the two as it is not the same issue.
We knew that Penang is a Chinese DAP dominated states in Malaysia, but please have respect for the Malays by respecting the Sultans.
In Malaysia, all are subjects of the HRH The Di Pertuan Agong, i.e. one of the Malay's Sultan in rotational.
Clearly you are crossing over a very sensitive issue on the sovereign of the Malays' Sultan.
Please do have some sensitivity for the Malays in this issue.
Good points, KT.
ReplyDelete"The way see It" seems to be a typical coward .. reflective of the fear psyched into him by the UMNO "Tuan Melayus" over the many years.
Courage, my friend. No free county can be achieved when its citizens are full of fear. Our greatest conquest is conquest of our fears.
HRH Nazrin is a reasonable fellow. But he too, is young and also need experience. So fear not. This learning curve is a normal every day thing as old people depart and new people take their place.
KT's article is just a normal and reasonable article.
'The way I see it', thanks for the advice, though there wasn't a need for you to mention Penang being a Chinese DAP dominated state as it has nothing to do with Penang or Chinese or Malay. Such mention would be unnecessarily divisive and drags in issues of race.
ReplyDeleteThis is a Malaysian issue, and as a Malaysian I know my allegiance as a subject to HM the Agong, of whom the Sultan of Perak once served as.
Thus this is not about a kurang ajar Chinese being disrespectful to a royal person, though you have attempted to project it that way.
Sultans of Malaysia do not belong to only Malays but to all the respective State subjects, and when any of them sit as Agong, to every Malaysian citizen.
The issue is about the concerns of a subject/citizen in his observation of a royalty 'coming down' into the political arena.
I invite you to re-read my post with more clinical assessment and see what I have written, rather than dismissing it as a non-Malay kaytee threading on a sensitive subject off limits to non-Malays.
Malaysians of Chinese descent have served HM and this country loyally and courageously in areas such as defence since 1957. There's no question of (Chinese) Malaysian disloyalty or insensitivity towards the royalty whenever anyone like Karpal Singh or kaytee raised an issue of concern over royalty seen to be participating directly in politics.
As I mentioned, at the root of incident leading to the unnecessary and cruel humiliation of MB Nizar, if examined carefully, clinically and without the emotions of suspicion or fears of 'us' and 'them', has nothing to do with religion, but a State public servant refusing to work with a new (non-BN) State government as he should in the best tradition of a public servant in a democracy. Regrettably the public servant was playing with partisan politics.
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thanks old timer
Well, BN has their Aku Janji, so guess who started it all. When you get politics into every facet of lay activity, i.e. education, this is what you get. VC's post should not be politically appointed but of course in Malaysia, everything leads back to BN, even the contract to clean a longkang.
ReplyDeleteActually, having followed Ktemoc's blog for more than a year, much of it as a silent reader, my conclusion is Ktemoc is basically a Chinese racist, though he has this self-image that he's a clinical thinker.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the "Main Belakang" guy still enjoys his rear entry activities.
ReplyDeletehttp://www1.malaysiakini.com/news/85246
KAy tee, regarding the recent allegations againts Anwar
ReplyDeleteMost of the people are saying it is just another diversion by the 4th floor. I find that very hard to believe, because
the guy who made the police report is a 23 year old, referred to as Anwar's 'private secretary'. I find it really odd. Why would Anwar have a 23 year old private secretary? I dont think it is for experience!
btw, the forth floor has every reason on earth to create this explosive diversion, given that
a) NAjib is pressuring Paklah to announce the succession date. He lately drop hints that he may challenge dollah.
b) RPK has recently announced that PDRM are collaborating with Israel.
c) Petrol price.
d) to further dispel rumors of a possible alliance between KJ and Anwar. Ezam recently took out a statement saying there was behind the scenes negotiation between KJ and Ezam prior to the release of Anwar, as alleged by the Khairy chronicals That was a misstep by Ezam. huge publicity mistake.
Kay tee, your analysis please.
at the end of the day, it is either Anwar planned this with the 4th floor, thats y he had a 23 year old 'private assistant', or he is just GAY. Mahathir might have been right. there is aint any smoke without fire.
Even if the 'private assistant' is a 106-year-old, he can still lodge a police report about being sodomized by AI
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the interview with the Mufti of Perak. It was an interview with an Australian Boardcaster and was shown in Austalia nationawide. It was with racist tone saying that the Chinese in Malaysia are very powerful and can do a lot of things. Then months later, he came out with rumours about people getting bapstised. At this time, I am very disappointed with the royalty in Perak if he had watched the interview with the Australian Station.
ReplyDelete