PENANG, 2 MARCH 2009: The appointment of another executive councillor to replace Penang Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin as state religious affairs committee chairperson does not mean he is not performing well, but is simply the outcome of a reshuffle to strengthen the state government.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) state liaison committee chairperson Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim stressed that the action was not related to the Penanti state assemblyperson’s performance, and was only to reduce his burden as Fairus also chairs the entrepreneur development, cooperatives, information, and community relations committees.
According to Zahrain, the position would still held by an exco of the party, Batu Maung state assemblyperson Abdul Malik Abul Kassim, who heads the domestic trade and consumer affairs committees.
Zahrain said this was also a good opportunity for PKR to contribute more effectively to the opposition’s leadership of Penang.
He said this when asked to comment on the portfolio reshuffle and speculation that it was due to Fairus’ lacklustre performance.
Zahrain added that he was aware of allegations on certain blogs that Fairus had not demonstrated good service performance, and stressed that there was no solid proof behind these allegations.
“Just writing on blogs, to me, is not suitable. Those who allege must make an official complaint, whether to the party or the authorities, if their allegation involves abuse of power,” he said.
The state exco has 11 members, of which three are from PKR and the rest from the DAP. — Bernama
