The Selangor Menteri Besar’s office has blamed former MB Dr Mohd Khir Toyo for the current row over the appointment of the new state secretary.

In a press statement, current MB Khalid Ibrahim’s political secretary Faekah Husin said Khir was the person responsible for allowing the chief secretary to the federal government to appoint the state secretary without consulting the state government.

Faekah said that Khir’s actions were “unconstitutional” and that the appointment of the previous state secretary Ramli Mahmud was unlawful.

“(Mohd Khir) has built a dangerous precedence and now this scenario has repeated itself when the chief secretary appointed Mohd Khusrin Munawi as state secretary without consulting the MB.

“The Selangor government refuses to continue Mohd Khir’s negligence towards the constitution because this will enable the chief secretary to abuse it as well as the civil service guidelines in appointing the state secretary,” she said in a statement.

Panel not illegal

Faekah also rubbished Mohd Khir’s claim that a special panel formed by the state government to interview prospective candidates for the state secretary’s position was illegal.

She said that the panel was not only responsible for screening the qualifications of candidates but also to ensure that the appointment process was fair and conducted professionally.

“This also ensures that the government officers can carry out the jobs without fear or support for any political parties, in which their promotion depends on their performance,” she said.

Khusrin, the former Selangor Islamic Religious Department head, started work today despite protest from the state government.

The state government claims that this was unlawful since the menteri besar was never consulted. However, the chief secretary said that the law did not require this and the Selangor Sultan had already given his consent for Khusrin’s appointment.

Faekah also slammed the BN and federal government for manipulating the palace over the matter, adding that BN was the one responsible for amending the law in 1993 to remove the Sultans of their legal immunity.