‘He’s trained in water engineering, he is Sabahan, and he’s the right choice’

The Sabah state government hits back at critics who question the appointment of Amarjit Singh as director of the Sabah Water Department.

Sabah’s Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony says Amarjit Singh is the right man to head the state’s water department. (Facebook pic)

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state government has defended its choice of a Warisan branch leader who was once under a graft probe to head the Sabah Water Department, saying critics were worried that Amarjit Singh might expose dubious dealings by the previous administration.

Sabah’s Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony said Amarjit was a qualified water engineer.

“Why do they fear his presence in the utility company? Is it because they are frightened that the deals which the BN government concluded might expose links to their previous political masters who either have run away or gone into hiding?” he asked.

Yesterday, a Sabah activist described the appointment of Amarjit, who is also the secretary of Warisan’s Putatan branch, as “political”, adding that it would not sit well with the civil service.

Earlier, PBS deputy president Maximus Ongkili said Amarjit’s appointment violated Warisan’s pledge to give priority to natives.

“This is against the Borneonisastion safeguard entrenched in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) which provided the fundamental guarantee for ‘native first’ in the appointment of senior officers in the civil service,” Ongkili had said.

But Anthony said Amarjit was a Sabahan and was trained in the field.

He said the Warisan-led state government would keep its promise to practise transparency, adding that all appointments would be based on meritocracy.

Amarjit Singh.

Anthony said he believed Amarjit would be able to turn around the state utility company, which was the subject of a graft probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

“As a water engineer who is involved in technical issues, I am sure he can bring back efficiency to the department whose image has been badly hit by the corruption investigations by MACC.

“We want to turn the Water Department into a money-making agency rather than see crucial funds that could be used for further improvements go down the drain or into the pockets of unscrupulous people,” he said.

Amarjit was arrested by MACC last year together with Warisan president Shafie Apdal, now the chief minister. Anthony too was investigated by MACC early this year over a separate case involving an oil palm plantation.

Anthony said Sabahans were aware of the 2016 water scandal which implicated the whole department.

“The BN state government under Musa Aman and his deputy Joseph Pairin Kitingan did nothing to improve the situation,” he said. -FMT