Don’t blame civil servants for your own mistakes, Warisan tells GRS

May 24, 2024

Don’t blame civil servants for your own mistakes, Warisan tells GRS

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan has taken issue with remarks from a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader, which it deemed akin to attacking the state’s civil service.

Warisan information chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said civil servants were only carrying out their duties to implement policies and instructions by the government of the day.

“As long as it does not violate the principles of professionalism, it is the main responsibility of civil servants to execute policies and orders by leaders from the government.

“If the government leaders are incompetent, then do not make civil servants the scapegoats,” he added in a statement here on Thursday (May 23).

He was responding to Liberal Democratic Party Datuk Chin Su Phin’s statement on Tuesday (May 21) that there were signs of incompetence in the Attorney General’s Chambers as well as other state government departments.

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Chin claimed that some civil servants who were pro-Warisan and Umno were purposely undermining the GRS-led state government by acting contrary to its aspirations.

He further called on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to sack these “incompetent officers”.

Azis in his statement reminded Chin that the leaders in the state Cabinet constantly change after each state election, meaning there will be new policies too.

“To accuse civil servants of sabotage because they are perceived to be Warisan or Umno supporters is baseless, irresponsible and childish.

“The statement (by Chin) is most insulting to the level of professionalism of the state’s civil servants,” he said.

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Meanwhile, on the issue of the Sabah Attorney General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof in the special grant appeal, Mohd Azis said it was unusual for her not to brief Hajiji, adding that it was also normal practice that the AG will only carry out her duty as per the instructions of the state’s top leader.

“Hence, in the matter of the appointment of Tengku Datuk Fuad Ahmad (as the counsel representing the state in the case), it is proper for the Chief Minister to take full responsibility as he is the state’s chief executive and all instructions come from him,” he said.

He added the state AG would not be so naive as to act on her own without getting clear instructions from the Chief Minister.

Azis said it was questionable that Hajiji did not know of Tengku Fuad’s appointment to represent the state in the hearing as the state AG sits in the state Cabinet meeting that is held almost every week.

Tengku Fuad had filed a surprise intervention on May 16 in the Federal Attorney General’s appeal against the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s decision to grant Sabah Law Society (SLS) leave to challenge provisions of the 40% special provisions grant.

The Court of Appeal was supposed to deliver its verdict on the leave application but following Tengku Fuad’s intervention, it had to reserve its judgment until May 24.