Former minister feels for SPAD staff

KUCHING: Former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dato Sri Nancy Shukri who held watching brief for the Land Public Transport Commission ( SPAD) said she sympathised with its (SPAD) 1,000 staff.

She said the staffs were a committed and dedicated lot but unfortunately under the new Pakatan Harapan federal government, SPAD would be dissolved in effort to reduce government spending.

Nancy who is Batang Sadong MP wants fair treatment for the former staff.

She said she hoped the new federal government would do its utmost best for them.

“I sympathise with the staff upon hearing the news that SPAD will be disbanded by the government. I thank all these staffs – all 1,000 of them.

“They have been giving high commitment and dedication to their work.

“I believe the government will do its utmost best and be fair to them,” she said.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad announced the dissolution of SPAD, Special Affairs Department (Jasa), National Council of Professors ( MPN), and Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JKKKP).

The rationale used by Mahathir’s administration in dissolving them is that these institutions are not actually part of government but they were set up to advise the previous government.

“We don’t need their intelligence. I think we are quite intelligent ourselves,” Mahathir told a press conference after chairing the first meeting of the new cabinet at Perdana Putra in Putrajaya, the federal capital.