But Markrom says: It's our job to go after anti-gov't teachers

A row has flared up in Tenang even before the BN unveils its candidate for the by-election due to be balloted by the end of this month. Johor Education Department director Markom Giran, who was caught on video allegedly campaigning for the ruling coalition, defended his actions by saying that it was his duty to "send for courses" those found to be "against government policy".

"I did not campaign. I was speaking to my subordinates. It is our right to identify which (political parties) our teachers are supporting," Malaysiakini reported Markom as saying on Monday.

"If they are found to be against the government, we will call them up and send them for courses to let them understand that a government servant should not be against government policy."

In the video which is being circulated on You Tube, Markom asked teachers “to help the government to win the by-election this round". He also told teachers to organise motivational programmes for their students and meet their parents to identify whether they supported BN or the opposition.

Blackmailing

Meanwhile, calls are growing for him to be sacked. Not only is his alleged campaigning an issue but his department's attempts to transfer the husband of Pakatan Rakyat candidate Normala Sudirman out of Labis to Johore Bahru at 24-hours notice drew public fire.

"This is the worst kind of bare-faced arm-twisting. I would even call it blackmailing and it is a shame to see it happening thanks to Umno," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Markom's department has since retracted the transfer order, also denying it was related to the by-election. Normala's husband Makrof Abd Mutalib however says he was told by his school principal that he was being moved because he "could not control his wife".

Meanwhile, Markom insisted that his actions were above board as a government servant was an executor of government policy and must follow whatever policy is made by the government of the day. "We are hired by the government. So we should not go against the government. Whatever the policy is, we just follow," he said. Markom cited as an example the policy of teaching mathematics and science in English that was reversed by the government in 2009 after seven years of implementation, saying that teachers should just follow the new policy instead of questioning the government on the U-turn. Johor PAS leaders have lodged a police report against Markom.

Tenang by-election - Markom campaigns for BN