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YOUR OPINION | “Are you the only Malaysian facing such difficulties?”
Threat of legal action, Deputy Minister explains prolonged stay in New Zealand
Vijay47: Deputy Minister for Federal Territories, Edmund Santhara, let me first express my condolences to you that your wife has certain medical problems. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery; his presence would be of great comfort to her, I am sure.
I can also understand, in all honesty, the anguish that both you and your nine-year-old must be going through a long separation.
I also have not seen my daughter, my son-in-law and their two children, two of my seven grandchildren, for almost a year even though they live relatively close. The absence becomes more painful every day.
I think he’s a doctor, sir. Did you ever learn in medical school that in situations like this one, you don’t get on your horse and show a belligerent attitude?
Threatening to sue and making police reports does not scare anyone or gain compassion. You just remind us that you are just another one of those arrogant political leaders that we are burdened with.
Make a police report on the statement of someone with whom you are not satisfied? Was the police force established to heed the orders of politicians like you?
I would have stopped here, but since you left fighting, I must continue in the same vein for a while.
There is this implication that you have at least two children in New Zealand, the nine-year-old and another who is “advancing in school.” You seem to have no faith in our wonderful educational system.
Unfortunately, I must end this. It seems his whole family is in New Zealand; There is only one conclusion we can draw.
Sit elephant: Serving in public office is an honor and a privilege. Those who elect public office are expected to make sacrifices. Those sacrifices are not only personal or financial, but also involve family members.
You can’t always “be there” for your family, especially during a crisis, and that’s something you signed up for. If you decide that your family needs you more, you can always resign from public office. It is your right and many will respect you for doing so.
Fifty-five days is an absurdly long leave: Most of the hired employees have between eight and 16 days of annual leave and do not have the flexibility to “work weekends” to extend their leave as Santhara has done.
If Santhara was still working in the private sector, it is perfectly acceptable for him to travel back and forth between Malaysia and New Zealand. That is entirely your own and private business. But it is he who has elected public office.
So enough of excuses. Enough of legal threats. Quit now, while you still have a little honor left.
Anonymous_15897060865429524: Santhara, if you took five days or even 15 days off to see your family, I think most can understand. But 55 days?
What type of job allows an employee to take 55 days off? And keep in mind that yours is not just any job. You are a deputy in the service of the Segamat rakyat.
That a deputy disappears for almost three months is simply not acceptable under any measure. It doesn’t matter if you went to visit your wife, mother, or grandfather.
You may have been able to save face a bit if you were transparent from the start and informed the rakyat before you went. But you only came up with this pathetic answer after Sarawak Report and Batu MP P Prabakaran presented it.
Either way you look at it, it will look bad in this debacle. And by threatening to sue, it looks even worse.
Bobbyo: Did the head of Santhara forget that during the Chinese New Year last month, families could not visit their fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, even if they stayed in another district?
Did the boss forget that many Malaysians have not visited their elderly parents for a year, as this nation had been on a motion control order (MCO) or another? As a result, they cannot even cross the borders of the district.
Did the boss forget about the thousands of people who had been returned, fined, or jailed just for violating the MCO when crossing ‘imaginary’ district lines or state lines?
How do these people feel about being separated from their loved ones? However, he gave this deputy minister 55 days off to be with his family.
Are you the only one separated from your children? There are thousands stranded in Singapore. There may be more people abroad who cannot return due to quarantine rules.
However, this deputy minister after being found absent for 55 days, comes with burning weapons trying to scare those who exposed their vacations with lawsuits.
Léon Moch: Indeed, is he the only Malaysian facing such difficulties and should he be given such extraordinary leeway and exception to solve his problems?
Parents across Malaysia, including civil servants, are having difficulty trying to meet the basic needs of their children. Does the government have such generous room for maneuver for these officials?
Also, his family is in hiding in New Zealand by choice. Not many have that luxury of options, yet he feels more entitled than others to fulfill his parental duties as a matter of law.
We sympathize with his wife, who has health problems, but let’s not forget the Malaysians whose wives not only have health problems, but also lost their lives and some cannot even see them one last time due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Dr. Raman Letchumanan: Sue why? You left the country without informing public opinion as a deputy minister and deputy. And he only issued this clarification and spoke so righteously after the matter was brought up. It’s like a thief who wants to sue his neighbor for calling the police.
We note his impeccable record in serving the people and 100 per cent attendance at Parliament, but how come he made a mistake informing the public about his long leave?
Yes, go and sue everyone. Hopefully we can all get RM500,000 each as cost and penalty. After all, I think he declared his net worth at roughly RM130 million. I am sure the courts will rule against you citing fair comments and public interest justification.
By the way, Prabakaran should also sue you if he is determined to be a PR (permanent resident) of New Zealand, which he did not deny in the above statement. Segamat voters can also sue him for criticizing political parties, and Malaysians in general for criticizing foreigners.
Anonymous65: It is surprising that the moment someone reveals the unpleasant truth or says something that the other person does not like, whether it is true or not, they run to the lawyers, threaten defamation lawsuits and other legal action.
It must be very lucrative to be a lawyer in Malaysia.
Bravemalaysian: Your reputation damaged? You did the most damage to yourself when you jumped (from PKR to Bersatu). I don’t think anyone can harm it more.
In the next election, you will find out how intact your reputation is. I’d bet you will even lose your deposit. Stop the blame game and take a good look in the mirror.
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