THREE members of the Universiti Malaya board of directors have had their services terminated effective today as Putrajaya ramps up its effort to remove political appointees to university administrations.

In a letter sighted by The Malaysian Insight, the university’s acting registrar Mahamad Apandi Khalib said in line with education minister Maszlee Malik’s decision, board chairman Prof Emeritus Zakri Abdul Hamid, Mohamad Othman Zainal Azim and Lim Wee Chai have been terminated prior to the completion of their term of services.

In this regard, Mahamad Apandi added, their membership in companies and subsidiaries associated with the university and committees under the board of directors has also been terminated.

Zakri had served as the founding chair at the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services until 2016 and was one of 26 members of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board.

He was also chairman of the National Professors Council.

Mohamad Othman was UM’s vice-chancellor prior to his service termination and had served as Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd chief executive officer at one time.

Lim is chairman and founder of the Top Glove Group of Companies.

Last June, Maszlee had said vice-chancellors and deputy vice-chancellors of public universities who rooted for Barisan Nasional will be asked to resign from their positions.

The education minister said this is in keeping with the Pakatan Harapan policy of removing political appointees and replacing them with qualified people.

“Those whose contracts have ended will not be reappointed… before the 14th general election they ridiculed the prime minister’s age and qualifications, but after 12pm on May 10, they changed their minds.

“We do not want people who are like this,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

He was commenting on whether the Education Ministry would follow the move to halt political appointments in semi-public services, such as statutory bodies and government-linked companies (GLCs). – July 31, 2018.