Kadar caj air bidang (4+

kuasa kerajaan negeri Selangor digesa segera projek LAL 2, elak krisis bekalan Laporan Syuhada Choo Abdullah, Faiza Zainudin dan Haspaizi Mohd Zain bhnews@bharian.com.my

K UALA LUMPUR: Kadar caj air di Selangor ditentukan kerajaan negeri, bukan di

bawah bidang kuasa Kerajaan Pu-sat, kata Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.

Berikutan itu katanya, tidak tim-bal isu tarif air di Selangor akan naik jika kerajaan negeri memberi kelulusan kepada Kerajaan Pusat membina Loji Air Langat 2 (LAL 2).

Sehubungan itu, beliau meminta kerajaan negeri menghentikan tin-dakan mempolitikkan isu penst-rukturan semula tarif air yang di-dakwa membebankan rakyat jika loji itu dibina.

"Jangan politikkan kadar tarif air, is tidak ada kaitan dengan Ke-rajaan Pusat. Sebarang caj air di-

tentukan kerajaan negeri, bukan Kerajaan Pusat.

"Pulau Pinang mempunyai pe-ngalaman dalam hal ini, dia sudah terima penstrukturan air dan hari ini kita boleh tanya dia siapa yang tentukan kadar air di Pulau Pinang, bukan saya atau Suruhanjaya Per-khidmatan Air Negara (SPAN), tapi beliau yang tentukan berapa ba-nyak hendak caj rakyatnya.

"Saya tidak ada kuasa menen-tukan kadar harga, is (penstruk-turan kadar air) bukan lagi isu.

"Oleh itu, saya minta kerajaan negeri ben kelulusan segera ke-pada kami untuk laksana projek loji air ini demi kesejahteraan rakyat di Selangor, Kuala Lumpur dan Put-rajaya," katanya menjawab perta-nyaan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh) pada sesi menggulung Usul Menjunjung Ka-sih Titah Ucapan Yang di-Pertuan Agong peringkat kementeriannya di Dewan Rakyat, semalam.

Anwar sebelum itu memperta-

BERITA HARIAN Tarikh .2 I MAR 2012

hankan tindakan Kerajaan Sela-ngor melewat-lewatkan proses pem-binaan LAL 2 kerana yakin pem-binaannya akan membebankan rakyat dengan kadar caj air dite-tapkan Kerajaan Pusat dijangka tinggi.

Mengulas lanjut, Fah Kui ben kata, pihaknya tidak pernah me-nutup pintu rundingan dengan ke-rajaan negeri untuk sebarang usa-ha penstrukturan dan pembinaan loji itu, namun keputusan perlu di-segerakan kerana membabitkan ke-pentingan rakyat.

Katanya, krisis air dijangka ber-laku pada 2014 di tiga kawasan ber-kenaan jika tidak diatasi dengan segera.

"Demi kepentingan rakyat Sela-ngor, Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya, besar harapan saya supaya kera-jaan negeri tidak menjadi isu pen-strukturan semula tarif harga se-bagai barang tawaran untuk me-laksanakan projek ini," katanya, semalam.

11' Kedudukan sebuah tadika yang didakwa menimbulkan keraguan dalam kalangan penduduk.

0,1 Y/.51 / 13

Operasi percuma diragui Ibu bapa dakwa dihalang masuk kelas lihat sesi pembelajaran dibuat NUR FARHANA ABDUL MANAN

PUCHONG - Kewujudan sebuah `tadika' yang memberi Ichidmat secara percuma ke-pada kanak-kanak di pangsa-purl kos rendah, di sini me-nimbulkan keraguan kepada penduduk setempat

Tadika yang terletak di tingkat 1 bangunan rumah ke-dai, berhadapan pangsapuri itu dikatakan dibuka sejak dua tahun lalu dan turut memberi perlthidmatan tuisyen secara Petal= Lim& Pelaiat yang bakal menduduki Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

Bagaimanapun, tindakan

pihak berkenaan yang enggan membeti peluang ibu bapa rrreliliat aPa Yang diaiat me-nyebabkan timbal keraguan pembelajaran sebenar yang diberi.

Wakil penduduk, Khainil Azmil Bashi 28, berkata, me-teka sebenarnya tidak me-ngetahui siapa yang menaja dan memberi dana kepada pengurusan pusat itu untuk menjalankan aktiviti.

"Penduduk tidak tahu sama ada pihak itu mem-punyai kebenaran menjalan-kan aktiviti seperti itu atau ti-dak, kalau benar mereka mendaftar tidak rnengapa, te-tapi Idni kita rasa ragu-raga.

"Sekarang ini macatn-ma-

cam masalah bedaku, yang menjadi persoalan mengapa ibu bapa tidak dibenarkan ma-suk ke dalam kelas, murid ti-dak dibenarkan membawa

makanan dan minwnan dad rumah dan pihak sekolah me- nutup Pinto dan bercermin

katanya. Khainil berkata, rata-rata

penghuni tertaiik dengan pa-kej 'sesi pembelajaran yang di-sediakan di pusat bedcenaan kerana tidak mengenakan se-barang caj.

"Kita minta pihak ber-wajib siasat latar belakang pu-sat ini, kalau mereka benar, kita bersyukur kerana niat baik mahu tnetnbantu keluarga ku-rang berkemampuan, se-karang ramai penduduk mula raga dengan operasi tadika berkenaan; katanya.

Seorang penduduk yang mahu dikenali sebagai Noor berkata, dia pernah meng-hantar anaknya ke sekolah itu, namun hanya sempat belajar kira-kira sebulan sahaja.

Katanya, dia terpaksa

rnenghentikan sesi pem-belajaran di pusat itu kerana berasa pelik dengan kelakuan anaknya terutama ketika berdoa,

"Anak saya juga pemah membawa pulang gula-gula yang Langsung tidak pemah dilihat di pasaran.

"Apabila sap minta untuk masuk dan melihat ketika sesi pelajaran berlaku, pihak seko-lah tidak menbenatkannya dan rneminta saya tnenunggu di lua4' katanya yang me-%alai tindakan itu me-nyebabkan timbulnya keragu-an sehingga dia mengambil keputusan memberhentikan anaknya dari terus belajar di pusat berkenaan.

SINAR HARIAN ....2.2..MAR.21112....

SUBANG JAYA — Pasukan bola sepak

Wawasan United yang menyertai

pertandingan kumpulan Liga Majlis Perbandaran Subang

Jaya (MPSJ) di Kompleks Sukan MPSJ,

di sini.

SINAR HARIAN "..1 MAR 201,

Pusingan U sempit ancam nyawa pengguna ,y//071

You Hin menunjukkan laluan yang dikatakan menjadi sempit dan menyukarkan pengguna membuat pusingan U ke pangsapuri.

SUBANG JAYA - Laluan masuk ke Pangsapuri Court 10 USJ 15, di sini didakwa mengancam keselamatan pengguna terutama pada waktu ma-lam apabila kemalangan dikatakan kerap berlaku di kawasan itu.

Difahamkan, laluan bersebelahan Jan Mulia yang memerlukan pen-duduk melakukan pusingan U di se-belah kanan itu adalah laluan utama keluar masuk ke perumahan berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun, kesulitan timbul apabila penduduk meletakkan kenderaan di bahu jalan menyebab-kan laluan sempit dan menyukarkan pengguna membuat pusingan U.

Wakil penduduk, Judy Lim ber-kata, keadaan itu terpaksa ditempuhi sejak 15 tahun lalu apabila pangsapuri berkenaan mula dihuni pemilik.

Katanya, mereka pernah mem-buat laporan kepada Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) mengenai masalah itu, namun tiada tindakan diambiL

"Sudah kerap berlaku kereta yang membuat pusingan U bergesel de-ngan kereta yang diletakkan di bahu jalan; katanya.

Seorang lagi penduduk, V Sivananda berkata, laluan sehala itu sering dijadikan dua hala oleh pe-nunggang motosikal sebagai laluan pintas mereka ke kawasan industri.

"Kita minta pihak berkenaan bantu selesaikan kemelut melanda penduduk katanya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pemuda MCA Kelana Jaya, Lee You Hin yang menerima aduan berkata, setiap hari hampir 7,000 kenderaan mengguna-

kan laluan sama. "Tiga bulan dulu saya pernah

bawa perkara ini kepada MPSJ, tetapi tiada tindakan diambiL penduduk

minta jalan ini dibesarkan dan lampu jalan dipasang kerana lokasi laluan terlalu gelap pada waktu malarn,' katanya.

SINAR HA MAN Tarikh: .2..1. . MAR ?Ola

Proactive steps to overcome weaknesses I READ with concern the report,

"Probe into cases of negligence ongoing" (NST, March 21).

In reply to a written question in Parliament, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that inves-tigations into cases of negligence reported in the 2010 Auditor-Gen-eral's Report were ongoing.

He also said: "No ministers, deputy ministers and officers have been officially held responsible for failure to comply with financial regulations, management require-ments or making acquisitions at high prices and missing tar-gets."

These weaknesses have persisted for too long and have caused-widespread public concern, espe-cially during a period of mounting national debt.

It is difficult to understand why the situation persists and why no one is held accountable.

As someone paid with public money to study and teach public administration, I think it is high time to float a proposal for ad-

dressing the problem or its sources.

Our top civil servant has often urged senior civil servants, who are accounting officers, to advise and speak the truth to those who in-struct them to spend public money. It seems that accounting officers often fail to advise ministers or dissuade them from poor spending decisions.

Thus, we need to put in place a procedure or system of financial control that requires accounting officers to provide ministers with advice, discourage ministers from insisting on questionable spending decisions and pinpoint responsi-bility for poor spending.

We do not even have to reinvent the wheel since such a system has long been put in practice and found useful in Britain.

Interestingly, the system was ex-tended in 1994 following the "Per-gau Dam affair", a controversy that erupted because the British gov-ernment provided soft loans for building the dam for Malaysians,

even though it was seen as thor-oughly bad value 'for money. We can adopt or adapt the key el-ements of the system. These are simple and are listed below:

WHEN an accounting officer re-ceives a ministerial proposal to spend public money that he con-siders questionable, he must put in writing his objection and the rea-sons for his objection to the min-ister;

IF the minister decides to over-rule the accounting officer and proceed with the proposed spend-ing, the accounting officer must ask the minister to provide him with a written instruction to carry out the spending;

THE accounting officer must then comply with the written ministe-rial instruction, but he must also inform the Treasury and auditor-general and communicate to them the relevant documents (that is, his written objection and the minis-ter's written instruction that over-ruled his objection) without undue delay; and,

THE auditor-general must then communicate the case of minis-terial overrule and submit the rel-evant documents to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Par-liament.

It is important that the above requirements be made mandatory. Failure to meet the requirements would then constitute negligence, and should be visited with con-sequences.

Making the requirements mandatory would also protect the officials concerned; discretion would make them vulnerable to political pressure.

Ministers will also be more care-ful, as their decisions to overrule accounting officers would be in writing and would quickly reach PAC, no longer remaining as de-partmental secrets.

There is every reason to believe that the proposed system will im-prove public spending.

What is needed is political will.

Lim Hong Hai, Penang

NEW STRAITS TIMES Tarikh: .2 , 1 MAR 2012,

Efforts to give better service,A Share your concerns about Subang Jaya with municipal council president Datuk Asmawi Kasbi. Send us your letter, in not more than 100 words, to streets@nstp.com . my, fax to 03-2056 7151 or send to Dear Datuk, c/o Streets, New Straits Times, 31 Jalan Riong, 59100 Kuala Lumpur. Include your full name, MyKad no, address and telephone number.

CAN anything be done to improve counter services at the MPSJ head-quarters? It is not fully manned and there are long queues.

Allan Ho, Subang Jaya

Datuk Asmawi Kasbi: The main challenge of the council in service delivery is to ensure that the quality exceeds expectations and the needs of our customers. In executing that, the council has strengthen the man-agement of service delivery through quality initiatives.

This includes counter services at the council which has undergone several levels of transformation. Now, the council is working towards improving the service delivery sys-tem to give the best to our cus-tomers.

The counters are crowded, espe-cially during the times when cus-tomers come in to settle assessment fees in January, February, July and August. Another busy period is when customers come to renew their business licences in November and December.

We are working towards increas-ing customers satisfaction by reduc-

ing the waiting time at the counters during peak periods. We have un- dertaken various initiatives such as :

Service counter operating hours from Sam to 5pm on Mondays to Fri-days; from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays; and closed on public holidays;

• Service counter operating hours extended in February and August —during the period to settle assess-ment fees — from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 2pm on week-ends;

• Four units of deposit machine kiosks at the MPSJ headquarters which is operational 24/7;

• Opening counters in shopping complexes under the council juris-diction on weekends from 10am to 10pm in February and August for the public to settle assessment fees.

• Online payment through my@mpsj and Internet banking via Maybank, AmBank, Bank Islam, RHB, CIMB Bank, HSBC, Citi Bank, Public Bank, BSN, Bank Kerjasama Rakyat, UOB, MBF, and Hong Leong Bank;

• The opening of drive-through counters at MPSJ headquarters; and

• Cash payments can be made in post offices and payment counters

of local authorities, land offices, the Land and Mineral office of Selangor.

The council's counters, branded as InC2 system, is customer friendly. The integration of a centralised sys-tem enables all services and pay-ment to be made at a single counter. We are also encouraging the public to make payments online on Pay-ment Gateway through the my@mp-sj portal.

In conjunction with the council's 15th anniversary celebration, MPSJ is offering a five per cent rebate for assessment fees for the second term paid through the my@mpsj portal.

Customers need to register as a my@mpsj member to enjoy online services which include:

• Checking and payment of as-

sessment fees and traffic com-pounds;

• Renewal of business payments; • Payment of council bills; • Checking and payment of book-

ing of sports facilities; • Application of development

plans (OSC.net ); • Check on the status of MPSJ

court cases (E-Cis); • Make complaints via I-Responz;

and • MPSJ application forms and the

latest information. We hope more people will use the

online services to avoid overcrowd-ing at service counters. Information can be channelled to our complaints line at 03-8026 4474 or 03-5637 6545; or email to mpsj@mpsj.gov.my

DEAR DATUK

NEW STRAITS TIMES Tafikh: .t4M 2012

Proof: Yap (second from right) showing news articles about the Pasar Rakyat as (from left) Seri Kembangan Section 3 MCA deputy chairman Tai Ah Yu, Chin and Seri Kembangan Wanita MCA Soong Yuen Thai look on.

Yap: Give details on market By OH ING PEEN ingyeen@thestar.com.my

SERDANG residents have a right to know about the progress of the Pasar Rakyat in SK6/1, Seri Kembangan, Serdang parlia-mentary constituency coordinator Datuk Yap Pian Hon said.

Yap urged the authorities to give Serdang residents the latest update.

"The assemblyman of this area and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) are answerable to the people," he said, show-ing the compilations of news reports since 2008 highlighting about the market to the press.

"There were various renovations done over the last four years.

"How much did it cost and when was the site gazetted for commercial use? he asked.

"We are not attacking the authorities but we just want an explanation, that's all" he said.

Seri Kembangan MCA service centre chief Raymond Chin said he had received queries from residents and business own-ers living near Pasar Rakyat.

"They want to know if there is enough parking space and if surveys have been carried out. Does it merely transfer the traffic congestion from the current market to the new one? he asked.

"Under the Local Government Act, there must be a hearing but so far there were none," he said.

STAR, Tarikh:

Joint effort to combat vice activities in budget hotels THE mushrooming of illegal budg-et hotels in Selangor can be curbed through joint raids by the local governments, police, Immigration Department, National Drugs Agency and the Islamic Affairs Department.

Local Government, Research and Development Committee chairman Ronnie Liu said local councils only had the power to seal the illegal premises.

Liu also said budget hotels should

not be seen as the sole contributor to vice activities.

"It is unfair to blame budget hotels which adhere to the law. Most of them provide lodging for tourists and visitors who could not afford to stay in five-star hotels," he said.

"The local councils conduct raids against the illegal outlets regularly .based on complaints.

"The operators are then given a chance to appeal.

,Vett

"Their business business will be closed if the reasons they give are not valid," said Liu.

He added that insufficient park-ing and close proximity to residen-tial areas were among the factors that were considered when a deci-sion was made to close budget hotels.

Liu said Subang Jaya Municipal Council and Petaling Jaya City Council had the highest number of 1 budget hotels in the state.

It is unfair to blame budget hotels which adhere to

the law. Most of them provide lodgiqg for tourists and visitors who could not afford to stay in five-star hotels. -RONNIE LIU

STAR Tarikh: 11..M14R

Time solution: Tipper lorries will be replaced by compactors.

Six days a week Better garbage collection service at low-cost apartments

d ot r IIN.P%es a

RESIDENTS at low-cost apartments have rea-sons to cheer as gar-

bage collection will be increased from every alter-nate day to six days a week.

"We are studying the pos-sibility of providing the service on Sundays as well," said Local Government, Research and Development Committee chairman Ronnie Liu.

The Selangor government, through a subsidiary, will buy 50 compactors costing between RM250,000 and RM300,000 each to improve garbage collection.

Liu said Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad would fund the purchase.

"The compactors come in different sizes. They are not cheap and that is why Alam Flora was reluctant to replace the old compactors previously," he said.

Liu added that with the new compactors, the local councils would be able to send their back-up teams out immediately should there be problems with waste collection.

"The local councils are not allowed to privatise this service, and the council heads are well aware of this," he said.

He added that if the state government had extra com-pactors local councils would consider renting them to other waste contractors.

Liu said this when answer-ing to questions pertaining to garbage collection in the state assembly yesterday.

Wong Koon Mun (BN-Kuala Kubu Baru) ques-tioned the need to purchase the compactors.

"Contractors who partici-pate in the open tender should declare whether they are equipped with compac-tors, and the local councils can check the registration of the vehicles to make sure that they are the owners," he said.

Wong added that it would be a waste of taxpayers' money for the state govern-ment to buy the compactors as the garbage collection companies should be to able to source the compactors themselves.

Liu, in reply, said it was a norm in the garbage collec-tion industry that not all contractors have their own compactors.

"Only five or six compa-nies own compactors. These companies will rent com-pactors to other contrac-tors," he said.

Liu said it was unfair if

the waste collection con-tracts were only given to those own compactors.

"Our open tender system is audited by the state and national audit departments," he said, adding that council heads would not ignore rules for open tender.

He also said the waste contractors were selected

from an open tender regard-less of their political affilia-tion.

Liu appealed to the public to give the new waste con-tractors a chance to per-form.

"The number of com-plaints have dropped sig-nificantly, compared with the first week," he said.

Snit Tarikh:

s7(w Subang :;;;;.2 Jaya exit should remain as two lanes, says Yeoh

THE Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) has been urged to stop narrowing the two-lane exit from Subang Jaya to the Federal Highway.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh said the ongo-ing road work near Glenmarie in Shah Alam had reduced the exit to only one lane.

"It has -created traffic con-gestion in the morning as the exit is one of the main access roads for Subang Jaya resi-dents to get out of the town-ship.

"I have received many complaints from the resi-dents last Thursday and Friday regarding the road work," she said.

Yeoh added that she had highlighted the matter to Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who was coordinating with the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) to supervise the work.

"According to mayor Datuk Mohd Jaafar Mohd Atan, the road work falls under MHA, since it is on the Federal Highway.

"MHA should not narrow the road since it affects thou-sands of Subang Jaya resi-dents in the morning," she said.

Yeoh added MBSA should brief the Subang Jaya Municipal Council, on the traffic plan for the new development.

"It seems that there would be criss-crossing of traffic especially motorists heading towards the development and those from Subang Jaya," she said.

TAI Tittlitht 3 7 MAR 2012

All eyes on September now Analysts: Polls likely to be held in first week

710 101 ,274,01.1„ ,

PUTRAJAYA: September has now emerged as a likely month for the coming general election with many arguments put up against the ear-lier speculation of June.

One contention is that several issues will need some time to be resolved. Then, there are the travel plans of the Prime Minister which seems to rule out the June polls.

It is understood that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to visit the United States in the second week of May, where he is expected to meet officials of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council in New York.

The council was set up to enable the country to make a quantum leap from a middle-income nation to a high-income one.

According to sources, Najib is likely to spend five days in the United States, after which he may take a short break with his family.

"We do not know whether this is a red her-ring to the press as preparations for the polls are already in full steam," one Barisan Nasional official said when told of the latest speculated election date.

On Saturday, Najib hinted that the 13th gen-eral election was around the corner, saying he sensed that the people's confidence in the Government had increased and that "rasa rasa Intnyi dah dekat (it feels like the polls are immi-nent)".

"During my travels around the country in the past one or two days, I could see that the confidence of the people has grown. I can feel it In politics, we must feel and I feel it (the general election) is near," he added.

'.e.':,A441kV444169VieWItt.

June is regarded as the next window period for the Prime Minister to hold the polls but there are still issues needing closure.

With April just days away, Barisan Nasional component parties are still busy resolving seat swapping issues and the list of candidates has yet to be finalised.

Najib is also making a two-day visit to China from March 31 where he will attend the launch of the Qizhou Industrial Park in Nanning with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.

If the Prime Minister does not hold the polls by June, they will have to be held after July when the fasting month will begin.

"The whole of August will be taken up by the Hari Raya celebrations and the run-up to National Day," an analyst said, adding that Najib could take advantage of feel-good factors such as the holiday mood and the Merdeka anniversary spirit of patriotism.

If September was picked, another analyst said, it would have to be the first week of the month.

"It cannot be late September as the haj sea-son would have begun, ending only in October. Then, there is the Parliament meeting from Sept 24 until Nov 27, where the Budget needs to be tabled. Once it is tabled, it has to be approved by the Dewan Negara, which means it (the Budget session) will drag on until next year," he said,

The Dewan Rakyat is unlikely to be dis-solved once the Budget has been tabled. It has to go all the way with the two Houses adopt-ing it."

Tirik h: . AR/ 2012

WORRYING: Teng says Khusrin's action has great implications on the state administration and the palace

Jitters over assembly dissolution order Move to draft instrument without MB's approval pulls palace into politics, says speaker

By TERENCE FERNANDEZ and MEENA LAKSHANA

mmnewsOrnmailcommy

THE Selangor State Assembly speaker is furious at the state secretary's move to draft the instrument to dissolve the as-sembly without getting the menteri besar's consent.

State Secretary Datuk Mo-hamed Khusrin Munawi had early last month instructed the state assembly house sec-retariat to draft the instru-ment of dissolution.

Assembly Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim told The Malay Mail that it was highly unusual for Mohamed Khusrin to instruct House Secretary Suliman Abd Rahman with-out approval of the menteri besar.

"By right this must be done on the instruction of the men-teri besar, but Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had no idea of this," he said.

Teng said he discovered it only when he was extended a copy of the draft of the instru-ment for dissolution by the

houie secretary. "This is one of the things

that we have been pushing for — the tabling of a bill to set up an independent ser-vice commission to make the house secretary report to the speaker, not the state secre-tary," said Teng.

He said there was concern that since the five Pakatan Rakyat states had announced that they will not dissolve their state assemblies before their mandate was up next year, there were moves to force the dissolution in the event the general election was called earlier.

In Parliament, the Dewan Rakyat secretary reports to the speaker.

When contacted, Mohamed Khusrin said the preparation of documents to dissolve the state assembly was an admin-istrative procedure.

"We prepared it just in case (elections are called)," he said, adding that ultimately, the call to dissolve the state assembly lay with the menteri besar.

Abdul Khalid, who had said

earlier that Selangor will not dissolve the assembly if the general election was called before June, downplayed the matter.

"We are making sure we get all the procedures right. We are also studying the laws and Selangor constitution on the dissolution of the state assem-bly," he said.

However, Teng said the mat-ter was of great concern as forcing a dissolution will ulti-mately involve the palace.

"I can understand why Tan Sri Khalid wants to defuse it because he does not want the

palace to be caught in the politics.

"These guys in Umno are trying their luck to force the dissolution on us, just as how they went over the menteri besar's head and forced Khus-rin's appointment on the state government in 2010," Teng said.

Mohamed Khusrin was ap-pointed state secretary — a federal post — without con-sultation with the menteri besar, who had a preferred another candidate.

Chief Secretary to the Gov-ernment Tan Sri Mohd Sidek

Hassan had said then that there was no necessity to con-sult the menteri besar on the appointment.

Mohamed Khusrin is accused of being "planted" by PR's po-litical enemies to undermine Abdul Khalid and the state ad-ministration.

To a question, Teng said he did not believe that individu-als in the palace were "collud-ing" with Mohamed Khusrin or any other party to force the dissolution of the state assem-bly. "These are done by poli-ticians using the office of the state secretary," he alleged.

A palace official said there will not be a situation where the state assembly will be dis-solved without the advice of the menteri besar.

"Tuanku will always abide by the constitution. His Royal Highness will not receive the instrument for dissolution from anyone other than the menteri besar," he said.

He also cautioned against any attempt to drag the palace into political games.

"The sultan will not have any of it," the official said.

MALAY MAIL 4rikh: .2.1..MARIOJL