Johor education chief denies transferring husband of PAS candidate

By Adib Zalkapli and Syed Mu’az Syed Putra

January 17, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — The Johor Education Department denied today that it had issued a 24-hour transfer order to the husband of the PAS candidate in the Tenang by-election.

State education director Markom Giran, however, warned Makrof Abd Mutalib against campaigning for his wife Normala Sudirman in the January 30 by-election.

“No such thing, there is no 24-hour transfer order. This is just propaganda by the political party,” Markom told The Malaysian Insider.

Rumours of Makrof’s transfer began circulating last night after PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang declared Normala as the party’s choice to contest the semi-rural state seat.

Normala was a teacher at a school near the Tenang constituency and resigned last month to enable her to contest the by-election.

Her husband, however, is still teaching at a nearby school and was reported to have been transferred to Johor Baru for his “failure to control his wife” but the transfer order was later cancelled following objections by Makrof and Normala.

When contacted, Makrof refused to comment, saying that the matter has been resolved.

The Johor Education Department also confirmed that Makrof is still serving in the same school and denied knowledge of any attempt to transfer Makrof out of the district.

“He is still teaching in the same school, but if he is found to be campaigning we will have to take disciplinary action, as a civil servant he is not supposed to campaign,” said Markom.

When pointed out that PAS leaders have accused him of campaigning for Barisan Nasional (BN), Markom said he only spoke to his subordinates on the importance of supporting the government of the day.

Markom was accused of urging Tenang teachers to ensure a victory for BN at a gathering recently. A video recording of the gathering was later uploaded on YouTube, prompting local PAS leaders to lodge a police report against Markom.

“What I said did not violate the General Orders,” said Markom, referring to the published directives for civil servants.

The Tenang by-election was called following the death of Datuk Sulaiman Taha on December 17.

Nomination has been set for January 22 while polling is scheduled for January 30.

Sulaiman retained the Tenang state seat in the last general election after he defeated PAS’s Mohd Saim Siran by a majority of 2,492 votes.

The seat is situated within the Labis parliamentary constituency, a stronghold of MCA president Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek and currently represented by his son Chua Tee Yong.

Another Labis state seat, Bekok, was also won BN’s Tan Kok Hong by a majority of 1,944 votes.

BN currently controls 50 seats in the Johor state assembly while DAP has four and PAS, two. - Malaysian Insider