Selangor MB defends decision to appoint Low Siew Moi SDC acting GM

• Low's tenure as PKNS boss may be shortlived

Bernama

SHAH ALAM, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim on Tuesday defended his move to appoint the Selangor State Development Corporation's (SDC) deputy corporate affairs and accounting manager Low Siew Moi as acting general manager, saying it should not be an issue.

Khalid's decision was met with objection from the corporation's own staff who submitted a protest memorandum to him this morning, while Selangor PAS wants to suggest its own candidate besides helping the state government find a suitable candidate.

"The tasks of the Selangor SDC is to develop the state and Bumiputera community under the New Economic Policy, but the results have been rather unsatisfactory," he told a news conference after the state assembly sitting, here.

"If the Malays manage this themselves and they do not benefit from it, then we have to look at the matter seriously.

"People get angry over such a change (appointment) but their stand is different when millions of ringgit go down the drain," he said.

Khalid said Low's appointment should not be an issue because it was only temporary as the current Selangor SDC general manager Datuk Harun Salim would be retiring at the end of the month, while Low herself admitted that a Bumiputera should be appointed to continue steering the government agency.

On another matter, he said the state's 2009 Budget tabled by him was approved by the assembly without any amendment.

Khalid said the state assembly also passed the Contempt for the House Bill 2008 to protect the sanctity of the House, whereby individuals who committed offences such as refusing to testify in investigations carried out by the special committee set up by the House, would face action.

He said the state assembly would have the right to request the Attorney-General (AG) to act against the offenders, and this procedure was akin to the system used by the United States Congress.

Asked why the need to get the AG's assistance, he said the state had no such power, so it would have to advise the AG. "If this is not effective, we will come out with another enactment," he added.