SHAH ALAM, 28 Oct 2008: PAS, a member of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition government in Selangor, is unhappy with the appointment of Low Siew Moi as Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) head.
Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamad Ali, who is also state executive councillor, said today the party would help the state government find a more suitable candidate.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim announced yesterday that Low, who is PKNS corporate and accounts deputy manager, would be appointed acting general manager for a year following the retirement of Datuk Harun Salim at the end of October.
The appointment also did not go down well with the corporation’s staff. At the Selangor state legislative assembly, PKNS senior officers association president Idris Ishak submitted a memorandum of protest to Khalid during recess.
Hasan told reporters later that he had a discussion with the menteri besar over the matter during which Khalid indicated his willingness to shorten Low’s tenure if PAS was able to come up with names.
The potential candidates must have calibre and possess experience in running an organisation the size of PKNS, he said.
During the meeting, he said he had asked Khalid why two senior officers, deputy general manager (administration) Md Nasir Md Arshad and deputy general manager (technical) Abdul Ghani Hassan, were not appointed to succeed Harun instead.
He said Khalid told him Low was appointed because of her professionalism and administrative ability but PAS was of the view that the two deputy general managers had their own strengths and should have been considered for promotion.
Hasan said Khalid wanted the new general manager to reform PKNS and uphold Bumiputera rights in trade, business and economy even though Low was not a Bumiputera.
He said PAS and its allies wanted the new general manager to come from within the corporation or drawn from outside talent.
PAS list
Hasan said a meeting would soon be held to examine the list of party members who could bring PKNS to greater heights and fit Pakatan Rakyat’s resolve.
He said presently, PAS had in mind two candidates to fill the vacancy but was looking for more names so that the state government could pick the best.
He said he did not discount the possibility of an active politician being appointed so long as the person was professional.
Asked why PAS was protesting Low’s appointment, Hassan said the problem was that there were two other candidates who had served PKNS for over 30 years and he was not convinced that they were incapable of running the corporation.
Low’s appointment also caused uneasiness among PAS members and the people in general, he said. He added that the protest was not due to race or gender.
Asked what would happen if the state government rejected the PAS-nominated candidates, Hasan said he wanted to participate in the process of interviewing the candidates so that all three parties in Pakatan Rakyat were satisfied.
Other members of Pakatan Rakyat are Parti Keadilan Rakyat and DAP. — Bernama
