Datuk Yong Teck Lee
Plaintif bersama Tuan Pang Thou Chung
Kota Kinabalu, Jumaat, 28 Ogos 2020
Cabaran undang-undang terhadap perlantikan secara haram Datuk Amarjit Singh sebagai Pengarah Jabatan Air telah berjaya diselesaikan hari ini apabila Kerajaan Negeri menarik rayuan mereka terhadap keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Kota Kinabalu bahawa pelantikan Datuk Amarjit adalah tidak sah dan perbicaraan Mahkamah Rayuan yang sepatutnya dijadualkan pada hari ini telah dikosongkan.
Pada 19 Mac 2019, ahli perniagaan Tawau, Tuan Pang Thou Chung dan saya telah mengemukakan kes untuk mencabar pelantikan Datuk Amarjit Singh sebagai Pengarah Jabatan Air Sabah dengan alasan bahawa pelantikan itu melanggar Seksyen 3 Enakmen Air Sabah 2003. Pada 9 Oktober 2019, Mahkamah Tinggi telah memutuskan bahawa pelantikan Datuk Amarjit Singh sebagai Pengarah sememangnya tidak sah. Bagaimanapun Kerajaan Negeri telah membuat rayuan. Rayuan itu telah berakhir dengan menggembirakan hari ini.
Hasil akhir kes mahkamah ini adalah kemenangan sepenuhnya untuk perkhidmatan awam Sabah dan kedaulatan undang-undang di Sabah. Ini adalah pendorong semangat bagi penjawat awam kerana penjawat awam harus menjalani latihan kemahiran, penilaian kecekapan, pengembangan profesional dan juga lulus peperiksaan kerajaan. Sebaliknya, Datuk Amarjit, seorang anggota Parti Warisan yang aktif, tidak pernah menjalani kursus atau menduduki peperiksaan perkhidmatan awam sebelum menjadi ketua jabatan kerajaan. Kurangnya kelayakan perkhidmatan awamnya yang terang-terangan disebut-sebut sebagai penyebab beberapa masalah dan tuntutan undang-undang melibatkan nilai yang mahal yang kini memberi kesan buruk kepada pemerintah.
Sebagai contoh, pada hari pertamanya di tempat kerja, dia membatalkan dua projek bekalan air yang sedang berlangsung di Tawau dan Lahad Datu. Pembatalan kedua-dua projek bekalan air itu secara tidak sengaja telah menunda bekalan air yang sangat diperlukan di kedua-dua daerah. Penyambungan semula projek bekalan air Tawau telah menyebabkan tanggungan kos tambahan kepada pemerintah.
Pada awal tahun 2019, 1, 335 pekerja di loji rawatan air di seluruh Sabah mengalami penangguhan gaji mereka selama berbulan-bulan kerana kelemahan pentadbiran. Ini telah menyebabkan pekerja dan keluarga mereka terjejas teruk dan menderita.
Peraturan mengenai tukang paip yang dicipta olehnya juga adalah paling melucukan, di mana tukang paip mesti lulus ujian perubatan yang sukar seperti juruterbang pesawat, seperti tidak mengalami masalah alkohol pada LIMA TAHUN TERAKHIR. Tukang paip juga mesti mempunyai pandangan mata yang cukup baik untuk melihat dalam kegelapan (seperti burung hantu malam). Peraturan ini menjadikan ratusan tukang paip menganggur semalaman. Tukang paip yang berpengalaman terpaksa duduk dan membayar peperiksaan bertulis sebelum lesen mereka dapat diperbaharui.
Misteri mengenai pemilihan kontraktor Pulau Pinang untuk empangan Papar masih belum dapat diselesaikan.
Pengajaran bagi ahli politik pada hari-hari terakhir Warisan
Kes Pengarah Air haram ini berfungsi sebagai pengajaran bagi pemerintah pada masa ini (mana-mana parti politik) untuk tidak bermain-main dengan integriti perkhidmatan awam. Ini juga merupakan pengajaran yang tepat bagi Menteri Warisan pada hari-hari terakhir jawatan mereka. Ketua Menteri, Menteri Infrastruktur (Datuk Peter Anthony) dan Menteri Undang-undang Persekutuan ketika itu (Datuk V.K. Liew) secara agresif mempertahankan pelantikan Pengarah Air secara haram walaupun terdapat keputusan mahkamah. Datuk V.K. Liew bahkan memberikan pendapat undang-undang yang menggelikan hati bahawa "Pengarah Jabatan Air bukan pegawai perkhidmatan awam."
Aturan undang-undang telah berjaya mengatasi aturan manusia
Saya mengiktiraf kerja baik peguam kami dan Jabatan Peguam Negara yang terpaksa bekerja dalam keadaan sukar. Kedaulatan undang-undang telah berjaya mengatasi aturan manusia.
================================
Yong: Illegal Water Director case a victory for public service
By: Datuk Yong Teck Lee
Co-plaintiff with Mr. Pang Thou Chung
Kota Kinabalu, Friday, 28 August 2020
The legal challenge to the illegal appointment of Datuk Amarjit Singh as Director of the Water Department has been successfully concluded today when the State Government withdrew their appeal against the Kota Kinabalu High Court judgement that the appointment of Datuk Amarjit was illegal. The Court of Appeal hearing that was scheduled for today has been vacated.
On 19 March 2019, Tawau businessman Mr. Pang Thou Chung and I had filed a case to challenge the appointment of the Datuk Amarjit Singh as Director of the Sabah Water Department on the ground that the appointment contravened Section 3 of the Sabah Water Enactment 2003. On 9 October 2019, the High Court had ruled that the appointment of Datuk Amarjit Singh as Director was indeed illegal. The government appealed. That appeal has come to a happy ending today.
This final outcome of the court case is a complete victory for the Sabah public service and the rule of law in Sabah. It is a morale booster for the public servants because public servants have to undergo proficiency training, competency assessments, professional development and also pass government examinations. In contrast, Datuk Amarjit, an active member of Party Warisan, never had to undergo any course nor sat for any civil service examinations before being made the head of a government department. His glaring lack of public service qualifications has been quoted as a cause of several problems and costly legal suits that are now badly affecting the government.
For instance, on his first day at work, he cancelled two on-going water supply projects in Tawau and Lahad Datu. The cancellation of the two water supply projects has unnecessarily delayed badly needed water supply in the two districts. The resumption of the Tawau water supply project had incurred extra costs on the government.
At the beginning of 2019, the 1,335 workers at the water treatment plants all over Sabah have had their salaries delayed for months due to administrative weaknesses. This had caused sufferings to the workers and the families.
Funny rules on plumbers were invented whereby plumbers must pass medical tests as tough as that for aeroplane pilots, such as not having alcoholic problems in the LAST FIVE YEARS. Plumbers also must have eye sight that is good enough to see in the dark (like a night owl). These rules have made hundreds of plumbers jobless overnight. Experienced plumbers were forced to sit and pay for written examinations before their licences can be renewed.
The mystery over the selection of a Penang-linked contractor for the Papar dam remains unresolved.
Lesson for politicians in the closing days of Warisan
This illegal Water Director case serves as a lesson for the government of the day (of any political party) to not play around with the integrity of the public service. This is also a fitting lesson for Warisan Ministers in the closing days of their term in office. The Chief Minister, the Minister of Infrastructure (Datuk Peter Anthony) and the then Federal Minister for Law (Datuk V.K. Liew) have aggressively defended the illegal appointment of the Water Director in spite of the court judgment. Datuk V.K. Liew even gave the laughable legal opinion that “the Director of the Water Department is not an officer of the public service.”
Rule of law has triumphed over rule by man
I acknowledge the excellent work of our lawyers and that of the State Attorney General Chambers who have had to work under difficult circumstances. The rule of law has triumphed over rule by man.