Lim gives PKR councillor Johari the boot
Athi VeerangganPublished: Jun 29, 2009 6:48 AM | Updated: Jun 29, 2009 8:05 AM
The Penang government has sacked PKR's Johari Kassim as Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) councillor effective last Friday in a move that has caused some alarm among state PKR circle.
The Penang government has sacked PKR's Johari Kassim as Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) councillor effective last Friday in a move that has caused some alarm among the state PKR leaders.
The state executive council led by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng decided at its meeting last Friday to sack Johari, who had led a PKR councillors' boycott of the swearing-in of civil servant Mokhtar Mohd Jait as MPSP head earlier this month.
State exco member in charge of local government affairs Chow Kon Yeow, announced the decision at a press conference this morning.
"Johari's (left) termination will be a stern warning by the state government to the other PKR MPSP councillors, who joined him in the boycott," he said, confirming that the state would not take action against the other seven.
The decision has come despite an appeal by Johari's party leaders to the chief minister.
The sacking is now expected to trigger en bloc resignation of all PKR councillors in MPSP and Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP). PKR has nine councillors in MPSP and seven in MPPP.
Apart from Johari, the others involved in the boycott were Che Mat Hashim, Amir Ghazali, Mahamad Hashim, Rynu Shanmugam, Goh Choon Aik, Mohd Kamil Abu Bakar and Zaini Awang.
Farid Arshad was the only PKR councillor to defy the boycott order.
Johari, a PKR state liaison committee member, was sacked under the Section 10(4) of the Local Government Act 1976, under which he has no right of appeal.
State secretary Zainal Rahim Seman will issue a letter to Johari today to confirm the sacking.
Chow also informed the media this morning that the decision to sack Johari was a unanimous one.
It is however learnt the three PKR representatives in state exco - Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman, Law Choo Kiang and Abdul Malik Kassim - had objected strongly, only to be outmuscled by DAP which has a numerical advantage in the 11-member executive council.
State PKR leader unhappy with Lim
Johari's sacking has been rejected by the state PKR leaders as well as by the party's central leadership.
PKR state chief Zahrain Md Hashim (right) said the party's central leadership has decided to oppose the sacking.
The party will write officially to Lim to express its stand, he said.
The state PKR which held its meeting on Saturday also saw some furious reaction to Johari's sacking. The state committee then decided to refer it to the national leadership.
The state leaders have also expressed their unhappiness with Lim over the way Johari was punished.
Their argument was that since Johari is a PKR appointee, his position on the council would have been best left to the party to decide.
They added that Johari is not a civil servant to be subjected to administrative action.
"Lim is so disrespectful to PKR," said PKR state committee member.
Lim was present at the state press conference this morning but he declined to comment on the Johari case, preferring to leave it for Chow to handle it.
Zahrain however told Malaysiakini he would initiate a meeting with Lim to discuss for an amicable solution.
On June 4, Johari led seven MPSP PKR councillors to boycott Mokhtar's swearing-in, pointing out that the Pakatan government had breached a gentleman's agreement to appoint politicians as heads of municipalities.
Under the Pakatan agreement made early this year, the MPSP president post's was to be reserved for a PKR nominee.
The state executive council led by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng decided at its meeting last Friday to sack Johari, who had led a PKR councillors' boycott of the swearing-in of civil servant Mokhtar Mohd Jait as MPSP head earlier this month.
State exco member in charge of local government affairs Chow Kon Yeow, announced the decision at a press conference this morning.
"Johari's (left) termination will be a stern warning by the state government to the other PKR MPSP councillors, who joined him in the boycott," he said, confirming that the state would not take action against the other seven.The decision has come despite an appeal by Johari's party leaders to the chief minister.
The sacking is now expected to trigger en bloc resignation of all PKR councillors in MPSP and Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP). PKR has nine councillors in MPSP and seven in MPPP.
Apart from Johari, the others involved in the boycott were Che Mat Hashim, Amir Ghazali, Mahamad Hashim, Rynu Shanmugam, Goh Choon Aik, Mohd Kamil Abu Bakar and Zaini Awang.
Farid Arshad was the only PKR councillor to defy the boycott order.
Johari, a PKR state liaison committee member, was sacked under the Section 10(4) of the Local Government Act 1976, under which he has no right of appeal.
State secretary Zainal Rahim Seman will issue a letter to Johari today to confirm the sacking.
Chow also informed the media this morning that the decision to sack Johari was a unanimous one.
It is however learnt the three PKR representatives in state exco - Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman, Law Choo Kiang and Abdul Malik Kassim - had objected strongly, only to be outmuscled by DAP which has a numerical advantage in the 11-member executive council.
State PKR leader unhappy with Lim
Johari's sacking has been rejected by the state PKR leaders as well as by the party's central leadership.
PKR state chief Zahrain Md Hashim (right) said the party's central leadership has decided to oppose the sacking.The party will write officially to Lim to express its stand, he said.
The state PKR which held its meeting on Saturday also saw some furious reaction to Johari's sacking. The state committee then decided to refer it to the national leadership.
The state leaders have also expressed their unhappiness with Lim over the way Johari was punished.
Their argument was that since Johari is a PKR appointee, his position on the council would have been best left to the party to decide.
They added that Johari is not a civil servant to be subjected to administrative action.
"Lim is so disrespectful to PKR," said PKR state committee member.
Lim was present at the state press conference this morning but he declined to comment on the Johari case, preferring to leave it for Chow to handle it.
Zahrain however told Malaysiakini he would initiate a meeting with Lim to discuss for an amicable solution.
On June 4, Johari led seven MPSP PKR councillors to boycott Mokhtar's swearing-in, pointing out that the Pakatan government had breached a gentleman's agreement to appoint politicians as heads of municipalities.
Under the Pakatan agreement made early this year, the MPSP president post's was to be reserved for a PKR nominee.
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