Liew: Sacking of ex-STB GM an internal matter

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the decision to remove former Sabah Tourism Board (STB) General Manager Suzaini Sabdin Ghani came from STB’s Board of Directors and that it was an internal matter.

Speaking to reporters when met at Komuniti Sejahtera Kemas programme at SK Sacred Heart on Saturday, Liew also denied that there was any political motivation in the termination of Suzaini who was appointed as STB General Manager in January last year.

“I don’t think it is politically motivated because I have been the Tourism Minister for only 10 months. How can it be political? This is an internal affair. The decision came from the board and I respect the decision,” she said.

STB Deputy General Manager Noredah Othman has since been appointed as the acting general manager to replace Suzaini.

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“Anyway, we focus on moving forward with the new acting general manager. Noredah has served in different departments in the Ministry and she has served for 29 years.

“Prior to her appointment as the acting general manager, she was already the deputy general manager for the last four or five years. We should be all right and moving on, we should let her settle down and do her job,” she said.

Liew also said she did not want to intervene in the board’s decision when asked whether she should have done so.

“How do you like it if every single thing that your board wants to make, you intervene? I don’t think I want to do that. It’s an internal matter and I’m very sure they know what they are doing. It’s nothing to do with politics. How the STB does it, I leave it to them.

“When they informed me (about the termination), I just accepted it - my only question to them was ‘Do you have a good, suitable candidate?’

“So, when they told me the new general manager would be Noredah, a Bumiputera and a Muslim who has served the Ministry for 29 years, I just accepted it.”

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When pressed on whether Suzaini’s removal was a loss to the Sabah tourism industry, Liew said her only concern and focus was to move on with her job as the Minister.

“We don’t know what is going on between the Permanent Secretary and (STB) Chairman. So, whatever it is, my focus is to move on with my job as the Minister. That’s my only concern and no other issue.”

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