APPROPRIATE action must be taken on former chief secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan for undermining the prestige of his civil service position by openly declaring that he received RM30,000 per month in advisory fee while sitting on the 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (1MDB) board of advisors (BoA) for almost two years without ‘doing anything’.
Yesterday (June 7), Sidek, 70, who was also the prosecution witness, testified that he received such remuneration between July 1, 2010 until his retirement from the civil service on June 23, 2012, despite not having attended any meeting nor discussion related to the troubled fund.
“Sidek’s testimony as the prosecution witness at the 1MDB corruption trial raises many questions,” Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng pointed out in a statement. “His testimony gives the impression that he’s innocent yet he received such a big sum of money for not doing anything.”
Lim, who said he is duty-bound to seek clarification from Sidek in his capacity as a MP, is also puzzled as to how the PETRONAS chairman never felt any sense of guilt nor was surprised to have received a monthly sum of RM30,000 without having anything to do.
“Moreover, he had never enquired regarding his job portfolio on the BoA nor progress of investigation on 1MDB that had already spanned six months (during his tenure). During that period, one wonders if he wasn’t aware that 1MDB was shrouded in suspicion even a little bit.”
In this regard, Lim said it is only appropriate at this juncture for Sidek to return the entire sum of payment made to him.
“Is Sidek so proud of the position granted to him till he merely offered his name to fill up forms without having to attend any meetings or to do anything?” asked the DAP MP. “Since he has confessed that he did nothing during the entire period of his BoA appointment, would he be willing to return the money paid to him in full?”
The two-term MP further stressed that this is not a small matter, considering that Sidek ranked the highest in the civil service, hence his action would surely influence the thought process of other civil servants out there.
“The time has come for the Government to seriously consider the quantum of reward as compensation for positions that don’t require serious contribution,” opined Lim.
“Following Sidek’s court testimony, the Government must reveal the number of similar position held by Sidek in government agencies as well as in government-linked companies (GLCs) for further appropriate action”. – June 8, 2022