Dangers of having a State Secretary who cannot be trusted

We have seen and read how the State Secretary of Perak was able to order the physical removal of the State Speaker.

The position of Secretary is often understated and some laymen think a Director is above the Secretary (as in limited companies), but in government service, the top dog is the Chief Secretary, not any Director General.

A State Secretary, like any profession, is only as good as the person holding the position. He can be efficient or inefficient, with or without integrity, conscientious or not, and so on.

If a State Secretary is perceived to be biased even before his appointment, how is the state going to be administered? A situation where a State Secretary does not know his job is bad enough, but if he cannot be trusted to carry out his duties accordingly, then the dangers of sabotage are very real indeed.

We have read about the staff of former MB shredding important documents just before Pakatan MB took over. There was an allegation of tampering with the Hansard in Sarawak State Legislative Assembly for instance:

http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/36852-tampering-with-the-hansard-to-protect-taib

Whether or not these allegations are true, the possibilities of such unscrupulous conduct cannot be dismissed. Just imagine a situation where not all official records are reliable and therefore unable to stand up in court if and when necessary. Local as well as foreign investors will lose confidence.

In Malaysia, even the physical possession of land titles does not necessarily protect the land owners, how else can we be sure of anything else? Minutes or the Hansard could possibly be changed or altered by the State Secretary. How will the Menteri Besar or other State Assemblymen be sure what they have voted for will be properly recorded? As in Agreements, does it mean every page has to be initialed by everyone to ensure it would not be replaced?

There is a possibility that the disagreement between the MB and Chief Secretary over the appointment of the Selangor State Secretary could end in a constitutional crisis and has to be settled in court. But from the experience of Perak court cases, in terms of delays and perceived bias in judgment, it might be better to have a fresh state elections instead. Since the GE is expected within 2011, the MB could preempt the PM's decision over when to hold the GE, by having the SE earlier. Otherwise, there might be a replay of Perak coup, with loss of control over when to have the state elections.

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