Recruited: 4,800 teachers for 1,800 vacancies

In what appears to be a covert operation, new teachers are being sent to Labuan, Sabah and Sarawak by the hundreds.

KUCHING: Some 800 teachers have apparently been sent to Labuan and Miri to assume positions which currently do not exist.

The teachers are among 4,800 new recruits who have received letters of appointment over the last two weeks.

Strange, however, is the fact that there are only 1,800 vacancies for teachers across the country. Which means that for every one teacher on duty two will be on standby!

The decision has left Education Ministry officials bewildered.

According to ministry sources, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had “ordered” the recruitment while he was the “acting prime minister” earlier this year.

According to a government insider, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was furious when he heard about the 4,800 recruits.

The issue had caused a wedge between Muhyiddin and Najib.

“He [Najib] rounded up the heads of departments in the Education and Higher Education Ministries and blasted them. He was sarcastic and asked where the money was coming from to pay them [teachers],” said the insider who lamented that the constantly volleying directives were putting civil servants on a spin.

The insider was alluding to an e-mail “directive” which was sent out to secondary school principals in Sarawak in January ordering the termination of some 600 teachers who had been issued letters of appointment to start work barely two weeks before that.

Despite an outcry from these new teachers, there was no response from the ministry.

On Wednesday, the 800 new teachers were apparently given a quick orientation and briefing at the Pearl International hotel in Kuala Lumpur about their appointments in Labuan and Miri.

The new teachers were, however, not told at that point which schools they were to be sent to.

Muhyddin’s worry

The government insider said that majority of the new recruits were those who graduated in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“They had already applied for teaching positions earlier. The past two weeks we have had to take out all these old files and send out appointment letters.

“We have not sorted out the details yet but the 800 sent out to Labuan and Sarawak are the first batch of teachers.

“We will be sending another batch to Sabah also,” said the insider, adding that the process is being done on the quiet.

Meanwhile, FMT sources in Labuan and Miri were unable to confirm the influx of teachers at press time.

But it was, however, learnt that Muhyiddin’s decision could well be linked to Umno’s concern for its Labuan seat currently held by Yusuf Mahal, who won the contest by a 10,471 majority in the 2008 polls.

Labuan Umno has been deeply divided since the suspension of its former chairman and MP Suhaili Abdul Rahman in 2010.

Suhaili was suspended after he was convicted of cheating and fined RN10,000 for failing to declare his bankruptcy status in a bank loan application more than 15 years ago.

His suspension irked many veteran Umno members here. In December 2010, Suhaili warned then acting Labuan Umno chief Yunus Kurus not to abuse his power by sacking members aligned to Suhaili.

His attack on Yunus followed the sacking of two veterans who were aligned to him.

According to sources in Labuan, discontent is rife in Labuan Umno and Putrajaya was worried that a pullout by Suhaili will considerably affect its majority in the 13th general election.

Poised to contest the Labuan seat are Pakatan Rakyat and State Reform Party (STAR).

Miri at risk

Similarly in Miri, BN-Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) is poised for a loss.

Current MP is federal minister Peter Chin, who is also the president of the embattled SUPP.

SUPP suffered major losses in last April’s state election with its then president Dr George Chan also losing his seat in Piasau to opposition DAP.

The two other state seats in the Miri parliamentary constituency are Lambir and Senadin.

SUPP managed to retain Senadin amidst much controversy in the last state election.

Its candidate Lee Kim Shin retained the seat by a 58-vote majority.

Lambir is held by Ripin Lamat from BN-PBB (Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu). PBB is headed by Chief Minister Taib Mahmud

According to a veteran political observer in Miri, BN needed “to keep” Chin in Sarawak to keep tabs on Taib. It is a known fact here that Chin is Najib’s man.