Exco: Up to Selayang council to act on chief's transfer

Selangor executive council member Ronnie Liu ie is leaving it to the Selayang local councillors to take action following the sudden transfer of the council president, Zainal Abidin A'ala.

He said that the state has decided to take a hands-off approach seeing that the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has full autonomy in the matter. 

"We will monitor the situation for the time being. It's not that (the state govermment) cannot block (the transfer) but MPS has the autonomy. 

"Each local government has this autonomy," Liu (right in photo) said, citing the example of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) which had dealt with the similarly sudden transfer of Mayor Mohamad Roslan Sakiman.

He said that in the MBPJ case, the local councillors had decided to take legal action against the chief secretary on the matter. 

Meanwhile, he said that MPS councillors have sent a protest letter to the Public Services Department (JPA) against Zainal Abidin's transfer. 

"The MPS councillors met yesterday and protested the matter. The protest (letter) has been sent to JPA," he said when contacted. 

24-hour notice

Zainal Abidin, who was appointed MPS president in 2011, received a notice on Nov 14, informing him that he will be  transferred to the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan) within 24 hours.

A group of MPS councillors held a press conference the next day to protest the matter, claiming that JPA had overstepped its jurisdiction. 

They also claimed that the move had contravened the Local Government Act 1976. 

Zainal Abidin's transfer followed his statement clearing the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat  government of approving the controversial 29-storey condominium project next to Batu Caves.

He had told reporters that the Dolomite Park Avenue condominium, now facing protest from the  MIC and the Batu Caves temple committee, was approved in 2007 by the BN Selangor government.