SABAH chief minister Mohd Shafie Apdal today cited two cases that he said showed Putrajaya’s lack of consultation with the state when making policy.

He said the appointment of a new Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) vice-chancellor and the implementation of the departure tax on air passengers as instances of lack of federal consultation.

Shafie said he had given his views to Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik about the appointment of  Prof Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin as the new UMS vice-chancellor, replacing D. Kamaruddin Mudin, whose term was cut short by a year.

Shafie said the minister’s action to proceed with the replacement had caused resentment and subsequently the resignation of UMS board chairman K.Y. Mustapha.

“I know it is the minister’s right to appoint the new VC, but there should be consultation first. 

“Actually, we have given our views and proposed several names for a new VC, but Maszlee decided to make the decision alone,” Shafie told reporters after the state assembly sitting today. 

Shafie said he spoke to Maszlee during the installation of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong recently.

He said it would have been good for Maszlee to consult him, as Sabah had its Education Ministry that had a role in education matters for the state.

On Putrajaya’s decision to impose a departure levy on air travellers, Shafie said this was not beneficial for Sabah.

“For the benefit of the tourism sector, we shouldn’t impose more taxes. Tourism is a major contributor to Sabah’s revenue, as well as national. 

“Our services industry is doing well but we don’t want to dampen that by imposing certain obstacles, levies that are too much to the extent that you kill the industry, it’s not good,” he said. 

Recently, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew also expressed her disappointment with how Putrajaya implemented its policies without consulting the Sabah government first. 

She expressed her unhappiness over the appointment of the new UMS VC, the departure levy and the introduction of khat in vernacular schools next year. – August 7, 2019.