If this was a television series, the opening act would start with Mara Corporation Sdn Bhd group chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Badlisyah Abdul Ghani and his team of 20 professionals, all dressed in batik, turning up for work with smiles on their faces on a Monday morning.
In reality, it will not be such at Mara Corp tomorrow. First, the staff have been told not to wear “batik or fancy dress”, and that if they “want to work, come to work or otherwise get lost”. This is so that Mara Corp won’t look like a “nightclub”.
For the record, a government circular from 2008 states that every Thursday is “wear batik day”. the circular reads: “This is to promote the development of Malaysia’s batik industry as batik is the legacy and identity of the country.”
Second, Badlisyah, who took over the hot seat in early September, will not be anywhere near his office or in the building as he is “suspended”, as first reported by Twentytwo13 on Thursday.
The board of directors, who had appointed Badlisyah, later appointed Noor Irwan Marmin as acting CEO effective Nov 20. The staff were informed of the change late last month.
Badlisyah, who previously served Tabung Haji as deputy CEO and is the former CEO of CIMB Group Islamic Banking and CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd, is on “garden leave”.
His team of 20 – those who have worked with other corporations and government-linked companies – could also be given the boot.
The questions on the top of the minds of many are:
1. Why was Badlisyah suspended?
2. Why was he appointed in the first place if someone else was earmarked for the job?
3. How much will Mara Corp have to fork out to compensate Badlisyah and the professionals if they are given the boot?
4. Will Badlisyah and the 20 individuals initiate legal action against Mara Corp if they are shown the exit?
5. What will Mara Corp’s official statement be?
More importantly, who will be accountable over for this drama in Mara Corp?
Will the board of directors admit it made an error in hiring Badlisyah?
After all, its chairman Datuk Dr Syed Muhamad Syed Kadir was quoted on Sept 3 as saying: “His (Badlisyah’s) credentials and experience in business, finance and investments meet our expectations of the group CEO, to successfully fulfil Mara Corp’s mandate.”
The board of directors comprises Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Zuki Ali, Treasury secretary-general Datuk Asri Hamidin @ Hamidon, Rural Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Jailani Muhamed Yunus, Mara director-general Datuk Azhar Abdul Manaf, founder of Holiday Villa Hotels & Resorts Tan Sri Datuk Azman Shah Haron, Gig Tech Holdings Sdn Bhd executive director Datuk Sri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, former Labuan MP and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Labuan chief Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman and Mohd Hisham Mohamed.
A Nov 26 letter sighted by Twentytwo13 shows Suhaili had been appointed Mara Corp executive director and chairman of the executive committee board for two years beginning Dec 1, 2020 until Nov 30, 2022 – pending approval from the Mara Council and Mara Crop board of directors.
The letter was signed by Rural Development Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad who is expected to be briefed about the matter tomorrow.
It is unclear where Abdul Latiff stands in this matter – wanting professionals or politicians (or politician wannabes) to run the show?
Since it was established in 2016, Mara Corp has seen numerous resistances from many, including those within Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara).
This is because its objective is to manage and develop Mara’s commercial entities under a single entity. The resistance, in short, is because everyone wants to be in control.
It is understood PricewaterhouseCoopers was to carry out an internal audit that would have revealed shortcomings, if any, within Mara Corp. But the need to get rid of Badlisyah took precedence and the audit effort is now history.
Four years on, Mara Corp seems to still be stuck in uncertainty.
Ironically, the entity that is supposed to uplift the Malay community could very well be downgrading the capabilities of some of the best Malay professionals in the country.
