Chief Secretary says won’t punish Penang SDO

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

July 22, 2010

Sidek said Nik Ali was entitled to respond the way he did to Lim. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said today that Penang State Development Officer (SDO) Nik Ali Mat Yunus will not be reprimanded for his criticisms against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Mohd Sidek told reporters that Nik Ali should not be punished because he was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

“Has he done anything wrong? What did he do wrong? What actions should be taken against him?” he said during a press conference, after launching the National Procurement Guidelines Forum at Istana Hotel here.

The spat between Nik Ali and Lim originated from Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhamad Farid Saad’s claims last week that illegal sand excavation was taking place at a plot in Kampung Kenanga, which had been earmarked for a government polytechnic.

Lim had responded that it would be difficult for the state to probe the matter as he had not received co-operation from Nik Ali.

This in turn escalated to a verbal war between Nik Ali and Lim, where the federal officer lashed out at the Penang CM during an Umno function for accusing him of being “incompetent.”

Mohd Sidek then questioned if it would be wrong for civil servants to attend programmes organised by Lim, as the latter was also DAP secretary-general, following remarks on Nik Ali’s presence at an Umno event.

He stressed that Nik Ali attended the function only as a government officer.

“Would it be wrong if I held a media conference with Datuk Seri Najib Razak? If it is his job as the prime minister and my job as the chief secretary, then it would not be wrong I held a press conference with him,” he explained.

Mohd Sidek also stood by his earlier statement that Lim’s allegations were “excessive” and should not have been made in the open.

He added that Nik Ali was entitled to respond to the accusations hurled by Lim.

“If he does not respond to the criticisms then people may assume that he is guilty. So he has the right to respond. I believe that if we are accused of something false, then there is need for us to give a response,” he said.