KULIM: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has hit back at Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor for arguing why the Home Minister has not held the State Development Action Council meeting.
Saifuddin, who is the co-chair of the council explained that the reason he decided not to call for the meeting was due to Sanusi's failure to show decorum in meetings that he had attended at the federal level earlier.
"Yes, it is true that I have never called for the State Development Action Council meeting over the past one year because the co-chairman is Sanusi.
"As the Menteri Besar, he has attended abundant meetings at the federal level.
"However, I sensed that after he came back from the meetings, he had used information from the meetings in his ceramah (political rally) in Pas branches despite the information that he shared did not reflect the actual facts," he told reporters after presenting cash aid and dates to 100 mosque imams from Kulim, Baling and Kuala Muda districts under police force's 'Ihya Ramadan' programme at Kulim district police headquarters here today.
Present were Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain and Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh.
Saifuddin added some of the information that were shared by Sanusi with the public at times belittled the chairman of the meeting.
"The government official meetings are categorised as highly secretive.
"If he attended the federal meeting just to go back and make a mockery on what happened in the meeting, that makes him a person that doesn't show decorum," he said.
Thus, Saifuddin stressed that Sanusi should not be complaining on why the meeting has not been called as it was due to his 'personality' of being unable to distinguish between matters concerning national interest and political differences.
"I wish to explain that there are manners, discipline (in meeting) and it is evident that he doesn't have the decorum.
"If he can change that, I don't have any problem to immediately call for the meetings that require his presence.
"The point here is, don't complaint if you were not invited (for the meeting). He should have asked (this to) himself," he said.
Saifuddin said his decision not to call for a meeting involving Sanusi has not affected the council's responsibility in supervising federal government projects in Kedah worth RM1.8 billion for this year.
During his winding up speech at the state assembly on Thursday, Sanusi expressed disappointment over Saifuddin's reluctance to call for the State Development Action Council meeting since the council was established over a year ago.