Revamp of 'corrupt' Water Dept must: CM
Published on: Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister cum State Finance Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal described the State Water Department as "highly corrupted" and which could not be restructured through normal methods.Corruption, he said, not only plagued the department's top tier but also the lower levels."Even when we asked for payments to be issued, the lower level engineers could not verify the documents as they are still under Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation," he said in his winding up speech when debating the Supplementary Supply Bill 2018 at the State Legislative Assembly, Monday.
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He said immediate measures had to be taken to overcome these problems, which necessitated the appointment of Amarjit Singh as the new Director, an engineer who had worked with many water supply companies."The State Government looked into this matter deeply and there are rules which enable us to appoint someone (into civil service) as a contract officer."This is stated in the existing regulations…we are not using our power arbitrarily," he said. He also stressed that not all civil servants are corrupted.
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"However, this department is in need of restructuring…please do not say that I am against civil servants, in fact, I support them."We just hope that the functions of the department could be enhanced by putting the right man at the right place, and that is important."
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The appointment, he said, was also part of Parti Warisan Sabah's election manifesto – to innovate the ability of the State Government's services and to strengthen the organisation of the State's public service.He added, such measures have to be taken so that the State's public service will be more rakyat-centric."What is more important is the water supply can be delivered to the people and to ensure that the department is well-managed. "I am aware that some may say that he (Amarjit) is the director and a politician who serves a political party. "However, this has happened many times previously where the chief executive officers (CEOs) of a firm also holds a position in Umno or other political parties," he said.The bottom line, he said, Amarjit is not merely serving the government or Warisan but the people."It is timely for the department to undergo a major revamp."He also disclosed that several engineers from outside the State Water Department would come into the department to resolve the water issues in Sabah."Give us time…it has yet to reach the 100 days of the new government, whereas the water problem has existed for many years," he said. Shafie also said Sabah is expected to face water shortage in 15-20 years time."The State Government has looked into several existing options – the first being Kaiduan Dam, the second is in Papar and the option which I expect to be a good one is in Tambunan."There are other options as well but I see some of them as inappropriate as we found that the best option is that we work on the nearest source – downstream Papar," he said.Amarjit's appointment also saw a tense debate at the sitting. Apas Assemblyman Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, debating the Supplementary Supply Bill 2018, said the appointment was a "deception" by the Parti Warisan Sabah-led State Government as it derailed from the party's election manifesto."I look at Warisan's manifesto and one of the promises was to strengthen the positions of civil servants," he said."However, the appointment of someone out of the civil service (as the State Water Department director) is a deception by the party."To this, Deputy Speaker Datuk Ahmad Abdul Rahman ordered Nizam to retract the use of the word "deception" as there is no proof of it happening.Nizam, however, insisted that it was in Warisan's manifesto.Based on the Water Supply Ordinance, Nizam said, it was clearly stated that the one who should hold the position of State Water Department director is preferably selected from the existing civil servants. "I do not question his (Amarjit) qualifications as he is an engineer." He also claimed that Amarjit was the subject of a graft probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).Nizam said the appointment was a slap to the face of public servants, among whom were many qualified engineers. He was again reminded by Ahmad to refrain from making unproven statements and discussing about the appointment. "On the appointment, it is not appropriate to talk about it, firstly, because he (Amarjit) is not here to defend himself and discussing it will be injustice for him. "Secondly, even if it is true that he is under (MACC) investigation, he was not charged, so it should not be raised in this august house.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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