CBN owners say not informed of latest head change

By Debra Chong

December 20, 2011

Pakiam complained last week about the Education Ministry’s decision to bypass CBN’s owners in appointing a new principal. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — The Catholic owners of SMK Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) have disputed the education ministry’s claims today that they were consulted over the latest appointment of the school’s principal, following unease over the government’s previous unilateral appointment.

Sister Rosalind Tan, the mother provincial of the Congregation of the Holy Infant Jesus for Malaysia, told The Malaysian Insider when contacted today, “That’s not true. We were not told.”

Tan was responding to news reports earlier today quoting Federal Territory Education director Datuk Khairil Awang as confirming that a new name has now been proposed for the job, replacing the Education Ministry’s earlier choice of Datin Seri Zavirah Mohd Shaari.

The Catholic Church had complained last week about Zavirah’s appointment, pointing out that it was not consulted on the matter, although it noted that the issue had nothing to do with her race or religion.

“I have consulted with Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam and the CBN board to explain the matter. The issue is settled,” The Star newspaper’s online edition quoted Khairil as saying today.

“I have given the name of the new principal to the ministry,” he told The Star.

Tan, who in is in charge of the Catholic order’s convents and schools here, said neither she nor CBN’s board of governors were informed of the latest decision.

She said the chairman of the school board, Dr Indrani Manuel, had contacted her yesterday to discuss calling for a board meeting.

Manuel was a former CBN headmistress.

Conventionally, a school board meeting is called by the school principal who also sits on the board as secretary. The other board members include representatives from the school owners, or mission authority as they are properly called, as well as representatives from the alumni and the parents of students.

The Malaysian Insider understands that Pakiam was only contacted by Khairil through a phone call yesterday.

The archbishop could not be reached to verify the information.

Khairil said only one candidate had originally been eligible for the job from among the names submitted to the ministry, but that person was due to retire. However, the person, whom he did not name, has now opted to retire only at 60 under a new government scheme, paving the way for the new appointment.

But Tan said the candidate referred to — whom she was not permitted to identify at the time of contact — had not opted to retire at 60, as the government had already announced it had raised the retirement age to 60 at the time the nominee list was presented to the ministry for consideration early this year.

Asked her next move, she said: “I’ll wait for the black-and-white.”

For Catholic Malaysians, Putrajaya’s latest pick of a Malay-Muslim principal to head the prestigious CBN underscored a worrying trend of disregarding the Church’s contributions and rights in the country.

Pakiam waded last week into a growing row between the 112-year-old school’s Catholic owners and the Ministry of Education (MOE) after Zavirahi’s surprise arrival at its doorstep.

“The appointment of the principal of CBN is not only contrary to the government policy of maximum consultation but has given the impression that it is the government’s strategy to take over the mission schools in total disregard for the status, ethos and special character of mission schools, especially CBN,” the archbishop said in a statement published last week in Catholic paper The Herald.

He was appealing to Education director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud to reconsider the ministry’s decision and pick a suitably qualified person nominated by the school’s owners under the Infant Jesus (IJ) Sisters order. The school is considered among the top convent schools in the country.

The case comes on the heels of a recent drama over the police’s extra conditions for carolling permits on two South Klang churches less than two weeks ago.

Earlier this year, right-wing Malay-Muslim groups triggered national uproar over persistent rumours that churches are on a campaign to convert members of the community and pushing unfounded allegations of a secret political plot to install a Christian prime minister in the next general election.

Christians say such issues are part of attempts to erode their religious rights in Muslim-majority Malaysia.