Chong chides Fatimah for ‘trying to divert the real issue’
KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen is now accusing Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah of “trying to divert the real issue” following her clarification on the application of Wong Wang Yuen for a Mathematics teacher post.
The DAP Sarawak chairman, said Wong did not apply for any job advertised by the Sarawak Islamic Religious Department (Jais) given that she applied through all three websites namely Jobs Malaysia, Education Service Commission (SPP) and e-recruitment for the position ‘Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Gred DG41’.
“Ask any teacher in government schools and they will tell you that ‘Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Gred DG41’ is the position of a graduate teacher in government schools.
“As evidence, I am now providing images of printscreen of all Wong’s applications through the three websites for the position. Particular reference is made to her application through the e-recruitment website which Fatimah alleged that Wong was applying for a job advertised by Jais.
“In the printscreen of Wong’s application submitted through the e-recruitment website, there was no advertisement by Jais. She applied for the position ‘Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Gred DG41’, which is the position of a graduate teacher.
“How and why her application for the position ended up in Jais? Fatimah’s reply yesterday (Friday) has not cleared the query,” said Chong in a press statement yesterday.
He further asked why the state Education Department, in the recruitment of teachers teaching in Sarawak, gave priority to teachers from other states over a fellow Sarawakian who has all the necessary qualification.
In the statement, Wong is said to have a Master in Education.
Chong said Fatimah had ignored the question about “priority not given to Sarawakians for the government teaching posts teaching in Sarawak.”
He went on to disclose that the state Education Department had on Feb 3 sent a letter requesting for the posting of 600 teachers from other states to teach in Sarawak.
The reason given was that there was no qualified local Sarawakian teachers to take up the job, he said, quoting the letter.
He added that out of the 600 nonSarawakian teachers requested, 64 were for Mathematics teachers.
“Yet, we have here in the case of Wong, a person who is holding a Master of Education (Mathematics Education) who has applied for the job but was not recruited by the government.
“By the fact that she had submitted her application and qualification through the state-owned e-recruitment website, the state government has her data in
— Chong Chieng Jen, Bandar Kuching MP
their record. The state government ought to have known that there is such a Sarawakian with a Master Degree in Mathematics Education.
“Why then, with such information and data, the state Education Department still issued the letter requesting for 64 Mathematics teachers from other state while not recruiting Wong first?” asked Chong.
He alleged that Fatimah, a state minister overseeing education matters in Sarawak, had “totally failed to perform her duty in ensuring that Sarawakians be given the priority for the teaching posts in Sarawak.”
This incidence, Chong said, clearly showed that the state government “is not serious about defending the rights and interest of the common Sarawakians.”
“With the issue exposed, that Wong has also applied for years through Jobs Malaysia and SPP websites, and that she has all the necessary qualification, if the state government were serious in defending the common Sarawakians’ rights, it should immediately direct the state Education Department to engage her as a Mathematics teacher in government schools.”
He thus urged the state government to act immediately and not giving excuses or trying to divert the issue.
On Friday, Fatimah called for a press conference to clarify an online report headlined ‘Why is the Sarawak Islamic Department filtering non-Muslim teachers?’
The report quoted Chong as saying that Wong’s application was vetted and rejected by Jais a month ago. At a news conference on Thursday, Chong urged Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg to explain why Jais had to filter and approve applications from nonMuslims who wished to become teachers.
To this, Fatimah said the applicant applied for a job advertised by Jais, and hence her application had to be vetted by Jais. She added that Wong’s application was rejected because the applicant was not suitable for the job.