Azizan vs Dato Rasli - If Only pas Can Learn

What's with the Kedah MB Azizan nowadays? He was battling for life previously and now he is out to severe the life-line of the Kedah State Secretary, Dato Paduka Rasli Basir. All of this, purportedly over the decision of Dato Rasli to transfer the district officer Ahmad Fisol Md Nor) from Kubang Pasu to Kuala Muda. As the DO of Kubang Pasu, Ahmad Fisol is automatically the chairman of Kubang Pasu District Council.

I guess this goes more to show who pas Kedah is all about. The Audit Report 2011 has proven Azizan and pas Kedah's complete incompetence in decision-making and running of state affairs...of course, I could not find anything in state constitution that allows a state government to be impeached by reasons of stupidity.

The Kedah Civil Service has always been steeped in history, as Kedah being an Unfederated Malay State. Before independence, the top position for civil service is the Menteri Besar, which comes after State Secretary. That means that all the MBs of Kedah before independence were officers who were promoted from their State Secretary position. Today, the State Secretary of Kedah is the head of the Administration where he is chosen by PAC and appointed by DYMM the Sultan of Kedah. His Highness the Sultan has the right to extend, by contract, the tenure of the State Secretary even when he has reached his mandatory age for retirement. The true power in running Kedah lie in the hands of the Sultan and his State Secretary, especially on election days where there is no MB or his excos, or during emergency situations when MB and his excos are stripped of power because whatever happens, the government must go on working. On this note, we understand why dap desperately wanted this position so much.

District Officer, and other officers of the state, either based on review and performance or necessity, will be transfered to other locations. These are considered by several factors. It can be over performance, the need for experience, the other district's need for a more experienced officer and to keep the job fresh. An officer must stay fresh and alert and never to get too comfortable with his position. This is done every 3 years or so. Look at Dato Rasli's resume alone: he has been to many places, Kuala Muda, Pokok Sena, Langkawi, Bandar Baru and other places. He is truly a civil servant who paid his dues. These are the experiences that he gathered which later qualified him to finally be elevated to the State Secretary position.

There might be complaints of having to be away from their family when transfered to new districts. In the past, the state government provided quarters and allowances to these officers as to lend comfort. Today, the quarters are still available, or the option to take allowances if they decide to rent. With the availability of highways, travel allowances are also opted should the officer decide to travel daily.

Ahmad Fisol might seem to have his reasons to grouch. I do not know whether it is true or not, but the pas supporters I met were adamant that Ahmad Fisol was transfered as he is politically involved with pas Kubang Pasu and the transfer might just hurt his chance to be nominated to contest for either DUN or Parliamentary seat for pas. Like I said, I don't know any verification to that.

Despite what pas says, or thinks, they have the right to nominate council members, but the position of Council Chairman is assumed automatically by the District Officer, and once he is transfered, his or her successor will assume the chairmanship. In short, Ahmad Fisol was wrong to bring up the issue of his transfer into the district council meeting.

They can create demos all they want, but DYMM Sultan Kedah extended Dato Rasli's tenure not once, but twice. Bear in mind it is not easy to get an extension on this type of position. So, pas, do the math.

Is it so intimidating for azizan that Dato Rasli is more friendly with phahrolrazi, who tried to launch a coup on the MB position last time that Dato Rasli must be eliminated? The State Secretary's service is for the state, not for the MB, and maybe that irks Azizan so much. Azizan has always been known the diva who "what azizan wants, azizan gets" like the legendary divas like Greta Garbo, Bette Davis and even Lauren Bacall. If he doesn't get what he wants or have things his way, then there will be a tirade of expletives booming from the MB's office, which actually explains why azizan's blood pressure and heart problem keeps getting worse. Now the State Secretary, as mentioned before, is not a political figure, so he has the right to rebut whatever proposals or suggestions put forward by the MB, on the basis of practicality and necessity of the state. There was an instance in the past where an MB proposed to introduce a new water treatment to make the water higher in taste and quality and for that, raise the rates, but opposed by the State Secretary as his studies showed that only 20% of the water in Kedah is used for drinking while the rest in for agriculture, industrial and other commercial use. The proposal was dropped in the end. In short, he/she also stand as the check and balance between the executive and the administration.

Azizan must realize that he is elected and appointed as the Menteri Besar, and took an oath to uphold the constitution, in which spell out the duties and powers of each branch. Launching a war to get his own people, whose service is only to him and pas, is a clear breach of his own oath. If anybody should resign, it should be the warped azizan. There are times I cannot decide whether his decisions are made by him in a clear mind, or under the influence of his blood-pressure drugs.

Maybe in one angle, perhaps we can try to understand azizan. His position as MB has always been like him: fragile and brittle. With azizan being surrounded by those who keep their eyes on his seat like the brainless mahfuz, the scheming phahrolrazi and the usurping amiruddin, safe be said, azizan's paranoia has been increasing ever since. He did manage to bar the womanizing mat sabu from contesting anywhere in Kedah by stating that pas Kedah will never accept candidates from out of state.

To those people who were sponsored to demo against the present State Secretary, we would suggest you take some time to read the state constitution, the duties and powers of each branch of the state government and the powers that the State Secretary has and then decide. Instead of asking the pas political figures, they can ask former state secretaries, state officers or/and even the State Legal Officer on the legality of the trasfer instead of using their one blind eye. After all, as Muslims, we are always encouraged to never stop learning. Also, I think the State Secretary and the State Government have a lot of work to do rather than waste their time in going against or answering people who refuse to learn and prefer to follow emotional pas leaders.

Instead of whining and stomping his feet like a spoilt brat, azizan should take time to answer to Kedahans on the horrifyingly abysmal performance of his state governance as shown in the Kedah Audit Report. He should give us answers on why we have new debts from bad investments and mismanagement. What happened to the excess income of RM20m that the state used to enjoy, and why did it go down all the way to RM2m? Is that the reason why the MB unleashed MBAS to scourge around issuing summonses anywhere Malay Muslim traders are? Of course, I'm sure if you tell them to stroll around the non-Malay areas such as Market koboi, Simpang Kuala and even Jalan Putra, you can make more with all those unlicensed vendors, but then again, azizan is afraid of dap with the elections coming near.

I am still wondering why azizan and pas Kedah concentrated on doing business elsewhere, spending Kedahans money, losing them, created debts and leaving Kedah's infrastructure in shambles.

There are rumours that azizan's strong desire to demolish the Madrasah Salihiah and use the waqf land as a sewage treatment plant of a shopping complex resulted in the elevation of his disease and his paranoia. I don't know, but maybe it's time for him to cease that activity and devote his time for redemption, and leave the Administrative branch alone before you and your goons do more damage.