Puad Zarkashi quits Jasa
JOHOR BARU: Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi has confirmed yesterday his resignation as directorgeneral of the Special Affairs Department (Jasa).
This ends speculation on social media over the past few days, after his name was dropped from the list of BN Johor candidates for the 14th General Election (GE14).
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Puad said yesterday was his last day in the department, and he would not budge on his decision to resign.
“I know many will condemn me. I remain steadfast. I am history now in Jasa. Such a hot seat that DAP even brought a mo- tion to Parliament in its final session this year to dissolve Jasa.
“If you want to recall one by one, there are a lot of things that have been done that made Jasa increasingly known, including in the rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, and among Malaysian students overseas,” he said.
Puad, who was appointed to the position in March 2015, expressed his gratitude to Jasa staff for helping him to lead the department.
However, Puad, who is the Batu Pahat Umno division chief, did not elaborate on his position in the party for now.
Two days ago, Johor BN chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that Batu Pahat Women’s chief Haliza Abdullah would replace Puad as candidate for the Batu Pahat parliamentary seat.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported as saying that the decision not to nominate Puad as BN candidate in Batu Pahat for GE14 was based on an evaluation of the political landscape.
Puad contested in the parliamentary constituency in GE13, but lost to PKR candidate Datuk Mohd Idris Jausi.
On Sunday, a message believed to be from Puad that stated his decision to resign from Jasa and to contest as an independent candidate, following his exclusion as BN candidate for GE14, went viral on WhatsApp.