Puad Zarkashi to Education minister: 'Don't be complacent'

Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s 'complacent' attitude is said to be the reason why schools in Keningau, Sabah and a few more remote areas are still in poor condition.

Special Affairs Department (JASA) general-director, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said the lazy reference can also be used on Education Minister II, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and his deputies, Datuk Mary Yap and P. Kamalanathan.

"The schools are still being ignored. Someone posted the image of a school in a district in Keningau which is now dilapidated. This is due to ignorant, no one is taking the responsibility to conduct any checks. Why don’t they go and see for themselves ... ?

Dr Mohd Puad firmly stated that it was due to the 'laziness' of the Minister and his deputies.

"They will not know what is going on. Things look good on the surface. The government spends billions on 1 Bestarinet, but nobody cares to investigate its effectiveness," he said, in the latest update on his Facebook.

Keningau is a town located in a remote area of Sabah and dubbed as the fifth largest town after Tawau and Lahad Datu.

Keningau borders Ranau District and Tambunan in the North, Nabawan and Tenom in the South, Tongod in the East and Papar in the West.

Keningau is located under the administration of Keningau District Council where it has small towns like Apin Apin, Bingkor, Sook, Nabawan and Tambunan.

Dr Mohd Puad also said that the conditions of the hostel and teachers’ quarters located in the remote areas are in poorly-maintained and do not receive the development it should have received.

"Muhyiddin has been the Education Minister for almost two terms, he should have done something especially for schools in the inland of Sabah and Sarawak.

"Go and see for yourself! Do not think so highly of Malaysia Education Blueprint (PPPM ) 2013-2025 if 'level playing field' is still not the same," he explained.

Meanwhile, Dr Mohd Puad said, many changes were carried out when he was the Deputy Education Minister.

"For example, I had to walk for eight hours in the forest to reach Sekolah Kebangsaan Saliliran in Sabah. The journey started at 4PM from Sinapa forest and arrived there at 11.50PM.

"That’s one of the things that should be continued by the leaders in in the Ministry. I made it to all Sabah and Sarawak PPD. Still there are many things to be done. Why don’t they continue that?

"It was indeed a challenge, including having to sleep in long houses. But if the Minister is not willing to do it, no officers would.

“People posted the picture on Facebook perhaps because I was once a Deputy Minister. So it’s not wrong for me to include the picture in my FB and ask for action to be taken," he explained.

He also remembers one of the memories where a villager asked him to place his palm prints on mixture of cement as a memento during his visit to a school.

"I was the first deputy minister who got to the school. Parties concern must be perceived positively so that people will have confidence in government’s credibility.

Mohd Puad Zarkashi is Batu Pahat former Member of Parliament. He was appointed as a Senator in Dewan Negara in 2004, former Deputy President of Barisan Nasional Supporters Club (BNBBC) and former Deputy Education Minister before being appointed as JASA General Director in 2015.