Former transport minister Anthony Loke criticised the removal of two professionals as authority members from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) board.
Venting his frustration in a Facebook posting today, he revealed that one of them, Afzal Abdul Rahim, had volunteered his service on a pro-bono basis and refused to accept any allowances.
“Afzal is the CEO of TIME dotCom, independent board member of CIMB Group and a licensed FAA commercial pilot.
“When I first met him, he was very critical about CAAM's efficiency but very passionate about aviation related issues. I then invited him to join the board of CAAM to turn his criticism to constructive suggestions to improve CAAM.
“He agreed but with one condition. He said he wants to do national service and serve on a pro bono basis. He refused to accept any allowances from CAAM,” he added.
Loke said the other person to be removed was former Bar Council chairperson Ragunath Kesavan, who was appointed to CAMM despite being a staunch critic of the Pakatan Harapan government.
“Ragunath came in later as we needed someone with strong legal background,” he explained.
Loke, who is also the DAP organising secretary, said he understands that it is the prerogative of the sitting minister to appoint or remove those in statutory bodies under his portfolio.
“(But) can't they differentiate between professional and political appointees?” he asked.
Loke pointed out that he did not remove any professional or non-politician appointed by his predecessor during his tenure as transport minister.
“Are we asking too much to have some independent minds and critical voices within the government structure?
“Perhaps. Like what (Prime Minister) Tan Sri Muhyiddin (Yassin) said...'This is not the government that you voted for'," he added.
The Perikatan Nasional government had come into power following the collapse of the 21-month-old Pakatan Harapan government following a series of defections.
During a recent televised address on the Covid-19 outbreak, Muhyiddin had assured Malaysians that his government cared for them despite not having been voted into office.
Malaysiakini has contacted Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong for comment - Mkini
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