Selasa, 24 Februari 2009

Selangor acts to curb sabotage..

By ELAN PERUMAL
SEVERAL officers from the various local authorities in Selangor are being investigated for allegedly sabotaging the Selangor state government while carrying out their duties.
A series of unpleasant decisions and actions taken by some of the local authorities has led the Selangor government to suspect that malicious tactics are being employed by these officials in their attempt to damage the reputation of the state administration.
When contacted, state local government, research and studies committee chairman Ronnie Liu confirmed that investigations had started and those found guilty would be facing disciplinary action.
He said the culprits risked being suspended, transferred within and out of the respective councils or even sacked.
“There are cases where we are able to prove the allegations and it is easier to deal with such situations compared with situations that are difficult to prove,” Liu said.
“But we are not going to take such nonsense any more, especially after giving these officers enough time, almost a year, to change their attitudes,’’ he said.
Liu said these officers had failed to correct their mistakes and had instead gone further by sabotaging the decisions and policies of the state government.
In some situations, he said they had even gone against instructions given to them by the state.
“We have received numerous complaints from the public and from state assemblymen from various areas and it is time we do something about the matter,’’ he said.
As an example, Liu cited the case of a factory in Klang which was issued with a closure order by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) for a minor offence which only warranted a fine and warning.
In another incident in Seri Kembangan, he said 100 factories were issued with fines of RM25,000 each for various minor offences.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that both actions were uncalled for and they were done with the aim of damaging the image of the state government,’’ Liu said.
Likewise, he said there had been many decisions made by the local authorities that had not reflected the state’s policies.
Liu said there had also been strong allegations of corruption among enforcement officers and department heads.
Some enforcement officers, he said, had apparently solicited bribes from those who had flouted the council regulations.
“We have also received complaints that depart ment heads are receiving bribes in return for favours obtained by their benefactors,” he said.
Liu said the state authorities had tolerated a lot of nonsense from these officials in the past and now felt that it was time to put a stop to these.
He said action must be taken against these officers so that the ratepayers were not deprived of good and efficient service.
“We have even sent the civil servants for seminars and courses related to good governance, accountability and transparency but they have not improved and have failed to correct themselves,’’ he said.

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