Kadir Jasin quits as Council of Eminent Persons media chief
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk A Kadir Jasin yesterday resigned as Head of Media and Communications of the Council of Eminent Persons with immediate effect.
He said the decision was solely personal in order to avoid further confusion among members of the public regarding his role in the Council and his views expressed in his blog and weekly column in the Sinar Harian newspaper.
“I have been diligently stating in the preamble of my Blog post that whatever views expressed therein were entirely mine. I was writing in my personal capacity as a blogger and had nothing to do whatsoever with whatever position I might hold.
“Unfortunately, that did not stop journalists and others quoting from the Blog from stating that I am Head of Media and Communications of the Council of Eminent Persons,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Thus, to avoid embarrassment to the Council and any possible conflict of interest on his part, A. Kadir said he had offered his resignation and was accepted by the chairman of the Council, Tun Daim Zainuddin.
In the statement, he thanked Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Daim for their trust and confidence in him and staff of the Media and Communications Unit for their diligence and hard work.
“I will continue to serve our beloved country and its people in the best way that I know how, which is with the nip of my pen.
On May 12, Dr Mahathir had announced the formation of the Council of Eminent Persons which advised the government on economic and financial matters during the transition of power by appointing five prominent persons to fill positions in the council.
The personalities were former Finance Minister Daim; former Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz; former Petronas President Tan Sri Hassan Merican; corporate figure Tan Sri Robert Kuok; and a renowned national economist Prof Dr Jomo Kwame Sundram.