Former HRD Corp chief operating officer Ariff Farhan Doss claimed that he raised several issues within the company before being sacked.
In an interview with Malaysiakini, Ariff said he raised concerns about expenditures and decisions regarding building purchases with at least three directors since 2022.
“I raised concerns about the manner in which expenditures were made, including decisions regarding building purchases,” he said.
Ariff (above) specifically opposed the purchase of a building for the company’s headquarters in Seberang Jaya, Penang.
“I was against it because the building is in a housing area. When I raised the concern with the directors, the matter was brought to the chief executive’s attention. He was unhappy,” he added.
The purchase was eventually not made.
Ariff said he constantly spoke up about issues in HRD Corp and believed he was the only one who dared to do so because of his seniority.
“In the show-cause letter sent to me, among the reasons stated was because I was trying to influence the board of directors against the HRD Corp management,” he said.
Ariff’s unfair dismissal claim with the Industrial Relations Department is pending. HRD Corp declined to attend a mediation, claiming that as a statutory body, it is not obliged to adhere to the Employment Act.
HRD Corp is under the spotlight after failing an audit by the Auditor-General’s Department, which recommended the Human Resources Ministry refer the company to enforcement agencies.
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) earlier this month also found that HRD Corp used RM3.77 billion in employer levies for unrelated investments instead of training programmes.
The Human Resources Ministry then reported this to the MACC, leading to the formation of a special investigation team.
HRD Corp CEO Shahul Hameed Shaik Dawood is now on garden leave pending the MACC investigation.
Whistleblowers removed
Following Ariff’s dismissal, three board directors - Rosli Yaakub, Palaniappan Joseph, and Grace Chia Hui Yen - were also removed, but Rosli and Palaniapan were later reinstated.
“To date, Chia was never called back because she was very vocal,” he added.
Rosli was the Finance Ministry representative, Palaniappan was from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), and Chia was the representative of the SME Association of Malaysia.
It should be noted that Rosli testified to the PAC that Shahul misled the board on the Skills Passport initiative, which led to the Finance Ministry approving the project.
Rosli testified that Shahul inserted a slide on the initiative in a “CEO brief” to the board. After the presentation, the meeting minutes stated the board approved the initiative.
Rosli then sent a letter to dispute that Skills Passport had received board approval. His testimony was corroborated by Palaniappan.
Former board member Chia also testified to the PAC that HRD Corp’s investment in option derivatives was very risky and could “jeopardise the whole investment”.
Malaysiakini has contacted all the individuals named by Ariff and is waiting for feedback.
No response from minister
Meanwhile, despite media reports, Ariff said that Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has yet to respond despite multiple messages since July 11 requesting a meeting.
This was after he alleged that he was blocked from meeting Sim and former minister V Sivakumar.
Sim responded that he was unaware of anyone attempting to prevent a meeting with him or the ministry’s higher management. He asked those who wanted to meet him to be patient and get an appointment.
Sivakumar replied “No” to Malaysiakini when he was asked if he was aware of Ariff’s claim and did not respond to questions about meeting the latter during his tenure as minister.
Sim replaced Sivakumar following the cabinet reshuffle last year. - Mkini
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