Sunday August 27, 2006
Don’t confront politicians, civil staff told
PUTRAJAYA: Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman wants civil servants to back down from confronting with politicians.
He said there was no point getting into a confrontational stance with a politician.
Samsudin was commenting on the stand-off between Customs enforcement director Mohamed Adnan Ariffin and Jasin Member of Parliament Datuk Mohd Said Yusof. Mohamed Adnan had accused Mohd Said of sending him an intimidating SMS message.
The move by Mohamed Adnan to bring the matter to the press had since then been criticised by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
Said Samsudin: “A Customs officer will have to carry out his job and responsibilities without fear or favour. However, if he ever feels threatened by a message, the officer should have either lodged a police report or brought the matter up to his boss, who can then later approach the minister in charge of his department.
“Then, the officer should just let the minister handle it with the politician involved,” he told reporters at the closing of the Putrajaya National Canoe and Maksak Competition at the Water Sports Complex yesterday.
Samsudin however said Mohamed Adnan’s decision to air his own grouse with Mohd Said could be just the officer’s way of defending the work of his own department.
“But my stand is, if this happens to me, I won’t be making a statement to the press,” he said.
Samsudin said he would meet with the Attorney-General on the rights and privileges of the MPs, particularly if their woes and claims could not be backed up by evidence.
“I want to get details about their rights,” he said.
Later he also confirmed that he would be “calling it a day” on Sept 2, having served the third extension of his contract with the Government.
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