KOTA KINABALU: The recent appointment of a new vice chancellor for Universiti Malaysia Sabah without the state government being consulted has irked Chief Minister Shafie Apdal. He said Putrajaya still had a tendency to implement policies without prior consultation and this was the reason why KY Mustafa quit his post as chairman of the UMS board of directors on Aug 1.
Free Malaysia Today (FMT) news portal reported Shafie as saying that Mustafa had told him about his disappointment with the VC’s appointment. “Although I am aware the appointment is the education ministry’s right, they also have to understand that the UMS administration has its own plans,” Shafie said.
Sabah politicians were disappointed with the appointment of Taufiq Yau Yun Hin as the UMS VC. They felt Putrajaya should have first consulted the state before announcing the appointment.
Shafie had made known his disagreement to Education Minister Maszlee Malik. “I told him ‘you should have consulted me’, that’s all. I know it’s his right but consultation must be done on how things are to be moved,” FMT reported yesterday. Mustafa was the state secretary from 2000 to 2007, and was appointed as UMS chairman on Nov 1 last year for a three-year term.
