By Hah Foong Lian, The Star
IPOH: Perak Tengah councillor Zul Hassan, who admitted to having illicit sex with a Chinese national, has vacated his post.
State Education, Local Government, Housing and Public Transport Committee chairman Nga Kor Ming said the move in asking Zul to resign was to defend the integrity of the state government and to protect the interests of the people.
“We have found him to be unsuitable to hold the post of a councillor,” Nga told reporters here yesterday.
Nga pointed out that under the Local Government Act, the appointment and dismissal of a councillor was the state government’s prerogative.
“If we ask him to resign, the message is very clear,” he said, adding: “He will be replaced once we have identified a suitable candidate.”
Zul, who had been charged with corruption, had lodged a complaint with the state Religious Department and had admitted to having illicit sex with a woman.
Zul had also accused Mohamad Imran of being the person responsible in organising and promoting the sinful act by providing the woman to him and two others at the Kuala Kangsar rest area on Aug 14.
Mohamad Imran is the complainant in the corruption case which Zul and four other accused had claimed trial to.
As for the two state executive councillors who were also charged with corruption, Nga said: “As far as they are concerned, they are innocent and they have reasons to believe they have been framed.”
“If they were framed, then there is no reason for us to punish the innocent,” Nga added.
He also urged the rest of the 338 councillors in Perak to protect their good name, and that of their family and the state government.
Declaring that he had full confidence in them as they were selected through a transparent and democratic process, Nga said the interests of the people should be their commitment.
Meanwhile, PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail welcomed and fully supported the state’s decision to sack Zul.
She said Zul would also be hauled up by PKR’s disciplinary committee and asked to explain the remark, when he made a comparison of his inability to resist temptation to someone who is being offered sedekah (charity).
No comments:
Post a Comment