No fears over possible BN-friendly PJ mayor

Fears that the recently transferred PJ mayor will be replaced with one more 'BN-friendly' have been quashed by members of the state executive council.

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state executive council has allayed fears that the transfer of PJ mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman could result in a more “Barisan Nasional-friendly” person taking his place.

“No, a BN-friendly mayor will not happen. I will see to it that it won’t happen,” state executive councillor Ronnie Liu told FMT in a curt reply.

“The appointment of the mayor is within the Selangor Menteri Besar’s jurisdiction, so the state executive council will see to who will become the mayor.”

Mohamad Roslan had been informed by the Public Services Department (PSD) in a letter dated Sept 27 that he had been transferred to the state secretariat.

He was to assume his new post as deputy state secretary on Oct 1 – meaning he had been given only four days notice over the transfer.

Members of the state executive council have cried foul over the sudden transfer as none had given their consent or were consulted over the matter.

“The sudden transfer of a government official without consultation has brought on shock and dissatisfaction among members of the Petaling Jaya City Council as well as the Selangor state government,” state executive councillor Teresa Kok had said in Parliament yesterday.

“Legally, the Petaling Jaya mayor’s transfer violates Section 10 of the Local Government Act.

“The mayor’s appointment… is under the jurisdiction of the state government, and the transfer of a local government official by the PSD also violates the state government’s jurisdiction,” Kok had said.

The PSD reportedly agreed to delay Mohamad Roslan’s transfer until he had completed his duties, but speculation is rife that the BN government would attempt to replace him with someone more sympathetic to the former’s cause.

Should that happen, Pakatan Rakyat’s fight to retain Selangor would certainly be an uphill battle as the PJ mayor oversees town planning, social and economic development and the general development of the city.

But like Liu, Kok quashed such fears as being “incorrect presumptions”.

“There is no fear that Mohamad Roslan will be replaced with a BN-friendly official. That presumption is incorrect,” she told FMT.

Kok, who is also Seputeh MP, said it was normal for a mayor to be transferred or promoted every year, and that the problem lay only with this particular transfer’s procedure.

“Our issue is merely that there was a lack of consultation when Roslan was transferred. It was not right for PSD to do that because it touched the jurisdiction of the state.”

But she refused to comment further, saying that she wished to wait for the minister’s reply in Parliament on Monday.