Liew crossed the line on Sabah Water Department case, says PBS

Amarjit Singh (right) signing his appointment letter as Sabah Water Department director last year.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has accused de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong of crossing the line in disputing a court judgment on the validity of Amarjit Singh’s appointment as Sabah Water Department director, saying it is not his place to comment on a High Court ruling.

PBS vice-president Johnny Mositun also said Liew’s act was unprecedented and uncalled for, noting that he was not a member of the state government.

“This is a state matter, and it’s for the state authorities to appeal the judgment,” he said in a statement.

“It’s not for Liew to dispute the judge’s finding through the media,” he added, referring to the minister’s remarks in a press conference on Oct 15.

Speaking in the Parliament lobby, Liew said the Sabah government had filed an appeal against the ruling by the Kota Kinabalu High Court that Amarjit’s appointment in August last year was illegal.

He said while he respected the court’s decision, the appeal process should be allowed to proceed so the matter can be settled as quickly as possible.

Johnny Mositun.

Mositun said if Liew was speaking in Amarjit’s defence, he should have done so in his capacity as a member of the state ruling party.

“He has breached the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary,” he added.

In his ruling, High Court judge Ravinthran Paramaguru said Amarjit’s appointment went against Section 3 of Sabah’s Water Supply Enactment 2003, which states that only civil servants should be given senior positions at the Sabah Water Department.

However, Liew said Section 3 (2) of the law might not apply to Amarjit.

Mositun said the minister’s interpretation of the legislation was “bizarre and ridiculous”.

“He contends that the requirement for the director of the water department to be from officers of the civil service does not apply in this case, because it confers on that post the status of ‘water authority’, and the qualification does not apply to Amarjit. How bizarre is that?”

He also said Sabah has no independent water supply authority, only a water resources management council consisting of a chairman, permanent secretary of the ministry in charge of the environment, secretary of natural resources, directors of various state departments and two members with technical expertise – about 18 in total.

“So how does Liew contend that the director of the Sabah Water Department, Amarjit in this case, is the water authority?

“He doesn’t have a say in policy, which rests with the respective minister and permanent secretary.” - FMT