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Refer Nazri to privileges
committee: Karpal
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Asked if he will apologise
for his erroneous statement,
Nazri said: “I will not.”
Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr
Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar
said he would decide next
week whether to refer Nazri
to the Rights and Privileges
Committee for allegedly giving
an untrue statement to the
Dewan Rakyat.
“I have to go through all
the details because the matter
involves many implications.”
Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit
Gelugor) had called for Nazri
to be referred to the commit-
tee, claiming that the minister’s
statement was untrue.
To another question, Nazri
said it was not his problem
whether the government was
wrong to sack the judges. “I
just want to correct that they
were sacked.”
Nazri also stressed that
whatever the government had
decided to do, the public must
be informed, including the
ex-gratia payment because it
was money belonging to the
people and the government
had no right to make a side
agreement with the judges
that the amount should not be
disclosed.
After Nazri’s blunder, former
Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim
was first to reiterate that the
judges were sacked, followed
by the Bar Council and then
former Prime Minister Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir said: “As far as I
know, the judges were sacked.
However, pension was given
on compassionate grounds
as there was an appeal that
although they were sacked ...”
On Mahathir’s comment
that “there is a lot of hanky-
panky going on” in the run-up
to the Umno central elections,
especially in the three-cornered
deputy presidential race, Nazri
said such accusations hinting
the involvement of money
politics was very serious.
“Mahathir should not just
speak like that as it will affect
the candidates. He should
furnish evidence and report to
the disciplinary board.
“He (Mahathir) has to re-
member that he is a statesman
and the people believe what
he says. If there is no evidence,
we cannot act. So he should
show proof,” he said.
Husna Yusop and Giam Say Khoon at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday
New UM VC picked based
on track record
NEWLY-appointed Universiti
Malaya (UM) vice-chancellor (VC)
Datuk Dr Ghauth Jasmon was
chosen to head the university,
taking over from Datuk Rafiah
Salim, in recognition of his
previous track record.
BN Deputy Higher Education
Minister Datuk Idris Haron
back- said the decision, made by an
benchers independent search committee,
bare their had nothing to do with gender
discrimination although Rafiah’s
teeth tenure was only for two and a half
pg 10 years.
“In a branded university like
UM, we have to put someone with
a high performance and Ghauth
is widely experienced not only in
a public university but he has also
developed Multimedia University
(MMU) from zero to hero.
“And the question of only
two years (Rafiah’s tenure) is a
subjective matter. We look into
one’s performance as a yardstick to
select a VC,” he said in reply to Dr
Mohd Puad Zarkashi (BN-Batu
Pahat).
Ghauth, former MMU president
and chief executive officer, was
appointed UM VC effective Nov
8. He replaces Rafiah, the first
woman to head a public university,
who was appointed in May 2006.
Interestingly, although the
question was from Mohd Puad, it
had led to a three-minute exchange
of words between Idris and women
Opposition MPs, including Chong
Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam)
and Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu
Gajah).
Chong said: “Don’t look down
on women. They were not given a
chance. If they had no chance how
can they gain experience?”
Fong said: “Please name all the
candidates for the UM VC post.”
And another voice added: “Two
years is not enough.”
Idris said: “Don’t try to gain
political mileage here. Barisan
Nasional places performance as
| FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14 2008
priority. (So far) we have three
women who have been appointed
to this post.”
Apart from Rafiah, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
(UPSI) have women VCs, namely
Prof Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah
Syed Shahabudin and Prof Datuk
Dr Aminah Ayob respectively.
Chong was still not satisfied,
saying the decision was not fair.
However, Idris said the issue is not
about being fair but about placing
something at its rightful deserving
place, adding there was no gender
discrimination involved in the
selection.
Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr
Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said
he used to sit in the (search)
committee and was aware of how
the selection was made.
“I know that internal
advertisements were made to
find those qualified for the posts
(VC and deputy VC). There were
no constraints (for committee
members). I am very much aware
that the committee’s decision will
be automatically accepted by the
ministry,” he said, putting the
matter to rest.
(More reports on page 8)