KUALA LUMPUR – Could MRT Corporation Sdn Bhd be welcoming a new chief executive officer?
Current CEO Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim’s position has become a matter of speculation with his two-year contract expiring on July 14.
There has not been any announcement to date on whether his tenure will be extended.
Questions over his future follow the controversy of giving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a preview of the Putrajaya Line, a day before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob launched the service.
There are talks that the Finance Ministry, which oversees MRT Corp, was the one that sanctioned the move not to renew Zarif’s contract, although an aide to minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the ministry will not be drawn to speculations.
The Prime Minister’s Office, it is learnt, has no knowledge of plans to replace him.
“The prime minister does not get involved in these appointments and leaves them to the discretion and wisdom of the Finance Ministry,” said a high-placed source.
MRT Corp board members and some in the corridors of power in Putrajaya are also believed to be in favour of keeping Zarif to ensure continuity and the smooth implementation of existing rail projects.
Speaking to The Vibes, Zarif said he is unaware of the speculations revolving around his tenure and is not in a capacity to comment pertaining to his position.
Any decision or announcement, according to him, will be the sole prerogative of the MRT Corp board of directors.
“I cannot speak on behalf of myself, the statement has to come from the board,” he said, adding that he is not privy to discussions over his contract, as they are held in his absence.
Whether I receive an extension or not, I’m not the party to announce. Even if I do receive it, I cannot divulge this information. It has to be from the board. But, InsyaAllah, everything will be okay.
According to another insider, MRT Corp will hold a special board meeting by July 14 to decide on Zarif’s fate.
However, the board will be meeting without a chairman as Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid resigned in early March.
The Finance Ministry has yet to issue a statement whether Azhar’s resignation has been accepted or to appoint a replacement.
Some parties using Najib’s MRT preview gaffe to remove Zarif
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the consideration not to extend Zarif’s stay in the company had taken into account multiple factors, including supposed issues of management.
He is also believed to have had a testy relationship with certain quarters in the Finance Ministry.
However, the source claimed that certain parties are understood to be using the recent blunder involving Najib’s exclusive preview of the MRT Putrajaya line as a conduit to push Zarif out.
Najib, who is facing a slew of graft charges related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd, was given a sneak preview of the first phase of the new line on June 15, a day before its official opening by Ismail Sabri.
He had shared multiple images and a video of his exclusive ride on his Facebook account, drawing flak from the public, who poured scorn on both the former prime minister as well as MRT Corp for granting a convicted individual early access.
Responding to the criticism, Zarif had told reporters on June 16 that the Pekan MP was given a sneak preview after the latter made a request through microblogging site Twitter.
As you know, he actually tweeted that he loved to be on the train. We replied to the tweet.
Zarif was appointed MRT Corp CEO on July 15, 2020 after the tenure of his predecessor Abdul Yazid Kassim ended on June 30 the same year.
He was previously with Sapura Group of companies, joining the firm in 2007 and serving as, among others, its chief operating officer.
The MRT project has been considered Najib’s brainchild, which he first proposed in June 2010 during the tabling of the 10th Malaysia Plan.
He had previously launched the groundbreaking ceremony of the Putrajaya line in September 2016 while he was still prime minister, and had similarly been given a sneak preview for phase two of the Sg Buloh-Kajang line in July the following year.
Najib has been sentenced to 12 years in jail and slapped a hefty RM210 million fine for his involvement in graft-related activities linked to SRC International Sdn Bhd, and is currently appealing his case at the federal court. – The Vibes, July 1, 2022
