FORMER Pujut assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon failed to qualify for Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad’s (TalentCorp) Returning Expert Programme (REP) as he did not show proof that he had returned home and secured employment.

This resulted in him not being issued his Surat Akuan Tarikh Kembali (letter of declaration upon return), the company said in a statement today.

TalentCorp chief executive officer Shareen Shariza Abdul Ghani said although Ting applied for the REP – a programme that facilitates the return of Malaysian professionals working abroad through several incentives – in May 2014 and was granted conditional approval in September the same year, he “failed to fulfill other conditions as specified by the REP committee”.

Ting, who was disqualified as a Sarawak assemblyman last Friday as he is an Australian citizen and therefore breached Article 17 (1)(g) of the Sarawak constitution, had claimed that he had returned to Malaysia, specifically Sarawak, after he was recruited by TalentCorp.

He said after being in Australia for 20 years, he had planned to return to Malaysia but getting permanent residency for his Taiwanese wife was a problem.

He said the application could take up to 10 years but he was made to understand that under TalentCorp’s REP, the process could be shortened by five years.

“TalentCorp’s records show that he was not a returnee under the REP,” Shareen stated.

She explained that all REP applications from medical professionals are to be first tabled for consideration by the Joint Working Committee – Healthcare Talent (JWC-HT), which includes personnel from the Health Ministry, Malaysian Medical Council (MMC), National Specialist Register and several co-opted members.

“The JWC-HT’s role is to review the academic qualifications and work experience of applicants to determine their eligibility under the REP. It then sends its recommendations to the REP committee.”

She said in the case of Ting, the conditional approval required him to provide a letter of employment as a medical officer in rural areas and also his registration with the MMC.

Ting, who runs a clinic in the small town of Kempsey, also did not meet the REP requirement of securing employment to be deemed aREP returnees as he had not secured employment in Malaysia.

He instead went into politics and contested as a DAP candidate in the Chinese-majority seat in Miri in last year’s state election.

The Barisan Nasional candidate who lost in the four-way fight for the seat, Hii King Chiong , had sought Ting’s disqualification in the Election Court last September but the petition was thrown out on technicalities. – May 15, 2017.