BN hints at snubbing Selangor law changes
(The Malaysian Insider) – Selangor Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar believes any attempt to change state laws for civil service appointments will fail as the state’s Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government does not have the necessary two-thirds majority.
The Tanjong Karang MP said the PR government’s actions is also an insult to the civil service.
“To have such an emergency state assembly, the Selangor PR government has forgotten their roots and is power crazy until it has forgotten that to amend the constitution, it needs to get at least two thirds majority, namely 38 votes, although there are only 35 PR Aduns. So I think the suggestion is a rash and emotional one, and was not done wisely,” he said in a statement.
Noh said that the PR’s suggestion to have an emergency state assembly (DUN) to amend the state constitution, and to return the appointment power of the three executive officials including the state secretary (SUK), to the Mentri Besar and the Selangor Sultan, was unnecessary.
“This proves that the MB admitted that the appointment of Datuk Khusrin is constitutional. So, Tan Sri Khalid has to agree and respect the state constitution, if he does not accept the appointment, it means that he does not respect the constitution and is rebellious towards the Sultan,” he said, adding that the Selangor Sultan had already acknowledged Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi’s appointment as the new Selangor state secretary.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s legal advisor had said that Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had exceeded his authority in barring the new state secretary from carrying out his job, in a move he said could disrupt the state’s civil service.
He added that the MB was treading on dangerous ground by doing so and could be challenged in court.
Umno lawyer Datuk Hafarizam Harun was responding to Khalid’s latest move after an emergency audience with the Selangor Sultan at the palace in Shah Alam yesterday.
Immediately after his meeting with the state Ruler, Khalid had declared he would not accept the oath of secrecy from Khusrin, who is Putrajaya’s pick for the state’s No. 1 civil officer post.
The MB added that Khusrin would be blocked from attending all meetings by the state executive council and the state economic action council as an ex-officio.
“To the Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN), the Selangor state constitution does not need to be amended because it has been practised all these while and there hasn’t been any problems to the government regarding the appointment of the state govenrment’s highest official by the Public Service Commission (SPA),” Noh said.
The Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister called the state government’s intervention on the appointment of the Selangor state secretary, as an insult towards the National Civil Service Institute.
“In fact, the Selangor state’s action clearly challenges the integrity of the Chief Secretary and the Public Service Commission in the appointment of the highest official in the state civil service,” he said.
Noh emphasised that the appointment is the federal and the Chief Secretary’s right to choose the right officer for the position.
