THE Selangor government has expressed surprise that Petaling Jaya mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman (pic) has been transferred by Putrajaya on 24-hour notice.

 

Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu, whose portfolio includes overseeing local governments, said neither he nor the menteri besar's office was notified of the matter.  

 "It is a bit fishy and abnormal. It is all right to transfer civil servants, but why the 24 hour notice? This will disrupt our administration of the council," said Liu when contacted.  
 
Liu said that Mohd Roslan (left), who took office at the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) in 2006, had performed well.
 
"A sudden transfer shouldn't occur unless the person has done something terrible. I'm worried that this transfer will dampen the spirit of MBPJ," he said.

Liu refused to speculate on the reasons for the sudden transfer, but said that Chief Secretary to the Federal Government Ali Hamsa owes the Petaling Jaya ratepayers an explanation.

MBPJ councillors have called for an emergency meeting to discuss the matter. They are expected to convene at 4pm.

'PSD orders'

When contacted, Mohd Roslan said the Public Services Department (PSD) has given him a "lateral transfer" to the post of Selangor deputy state secretary.

Saying he is just following directions, he denied that he had been told to leave his MBPJ post within 24 hours.

"As a civil servant, when the PSD (tells) you to leave, (you) have to do so. I do not know where the news (of the sudden transfer) comes from," he told Malaysiakini.

"I will have to ask the state secretary as to what comes next. However, I understand that he is on leave, so it may take time."

Speaking to reporters after the emergency meeting, councillor for Zone 12 Derek Fernandez said the council had resolved that the transfer was both illegal and ultra vires.

"Under the Local Government Act 1976, the tenure of a mayor is at the Selangor government's pleasure. The PSD cannot make the decision on its own."

Fernandez, who is a practising lawyer, explained that Section 10 of the Local Government Act 1976 stipulates that the state has sole and exclusive power in determine mayor's tenure.

He said the state government should have been consulted on the transfer of Mohd Roslan and that MBPJ would consider taking the matter to court.

Too short a notice

Fernandez also criticised the PSD for issuing a three-day notice because it would disrupt MBPJ's operations.

"You won’t even do this to your office boy! And he is running the city," exclaimed Fernandez.

Meanwhile, Zone 15 councillor Lee Chin Cheh accused the BN federal government of trying to destabilise  the state government by transferring the mayor in this manner.

Selangor has had a long history of wrangling with federal government appointees for state government positions.

One of the biggest dispute involved the appointment of state secretary Mohd Khusrin Munawin, which Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim claimed was done without his input.

During his days as the head of the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais), Khusrin had undertaken several actions that were was deemed conflicting with the state government's policy.

 

- Malaysiakini

 

 

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