Monday 28 April 2008

Balkis dissolved according to rules...

...says Datin Seri Zaharah Kechik and hopes that with the explanation, no one would make baseless accusations and slanders. Legal action would be taken if they did.
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The wife of former Selangor menteri besar, Datin Seri Zaharah Kechik, said Sunday that the dissolution of the Wives of Selangor Assemblymen and MPs Welfare and Charity Organisation (Balkis) was according to its constitution.

The dissolution took place on March 11 before Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim was sworn-in as Selangor Menteri Besar on March 13, she told a press conference here.

"It means, I was the president at the time and had not relinguished the president's post. Therefore, the question of me not having to power to chair the general meeting called for the purpose Balkis' dissolution does not arise," she said.

According to
Bernama . she said Balkis was dissolved with the consent of over two-thirds its ordinary members during the special general meeting which was called by more than one-fifths of its ordinary members.

"The special general meeting and Balkis' dissolution were in line with Article 15(1) and 12 of Balkis Constitution and minutes of the meeting can confirm that all legal provisions have been complied with," she said.

Following the dissolution, Balkis' funds totalling RM9.9 million were transferred to the Wives of Ministers Welfare and Charity Organisation (Bakti) according to Article 15(2) of Balkis Constitution, Zahrah said.

She hoped that with the explanation, no one would make baseless accusations and slanders. Legal action would be taken of they did, she said.

On Saturday, Khalid requested (read here) for Balkis' dissolution to be withdrawn and the RM9.9 million transferred to Bakti to be returned.

Zaharah said that under Article 8 of Balkis constitution, the organisation could receive contributions from the government and government-linked companies.

"When Balkis received a contribution, it became Balkis'. Therefore, the question of the money being channelled out or returned to the government or any government-linked companies does not arise," she said.

Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, who was present at the press conference said the state government should talk to the legal firm appointed by Balkis, Sallehudin & Co, if it was not satisfied with the issue.

They are trying to politicise the issue and do not read Balkis Constitution orrectly," he said.

He said the RM9.9 million was donated specially for students adopted by Balkis and it was transferred straight to Bakti following Balkis' dissolution and Bakti gave a written reply that it had received the money.

A newspaper report which said the money went to the account of a third party before it was tranferred to Bakti was incorrect, he said.

Meanwhile, senior state executive councillor for Investment, Industry and Commerce Teresa Kok said Zahrah should not dodge the issue pertaining to the transfer of the RM9.9mil from the Balkis account. (Read here)

“Just give back the money and withdraw the application to dissolve Balkis. Yes, Zahrah said to go ahead with legal action but it is going to be bad for her and the most sane thing to do is end the episode by returning the money,” Kok said.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Waah! Full of self-righteousness. Doesn't even know that what she has done is against the law. Now she wants to take legal actions against those who have her exposed sumore.

Typical Umno/BN - always trying to divert attention from the real issue, give out a warning and threat.

Anonymous said...

in this case, although i am not pro-BN nor pro-PKR but rather am involved myself with a couple of associations registered under the RoS, i agree with Balkis' stand. if what they did is according to their constitution, then no one should tell them what to do. it is then within their rights to dissolve the association. and therefore, within their rights according to their constitution to 'donate' whatever money they have in their coffers. the current ruling state government wives can start thir own association with their own rules. why politicize the matter? tamak nak the 9.9 mil? sorry but it wasn't yours to begin with and isn't yours. i think some of the PKR talking heads are sounding stupid. especially that teresa. and khalid should act better being the MB and islamic and all.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:31:00AM,

This is a classic case of bodoh sombong!

Unknown said...

The money was mainly contributed from Selangor state agencies and that means the peoples money. This is a charity organization and the if the heart is in the right place and the former Balkis committee is sincerely then the transition should have been done accordingly. It is in the constitution that the present MB wife will head the organization, so how come suddenly it does not count. How moronic. I am upset becos the ex-state leaders thinks we are stupid not to understand what is really happening. At this rate, BN instead of rebuilding the party, keeps shooting themselves in their feet by doing all these silly things that only irritates us. Grow up!

gram.kong said...

Even if it is within their legal rights to do what they did, from moral point of view it is wrong.

To say they are better custodian and guardian of the money is appalling.

Balkis and the money should be left for the next committee to take over and manage it the way they deem fit.

This act of selfishness is just intolerable and goes to show how contagious the disease is in UMNO, even their wives got infected.

Anonymous said...

Amboi, berlagak, bagi amaran pula.Nak menegakkan benang basah.

Wahai Datin Seri, sila dengar di sini. Sekiranya Datin berpendapat yang Datin boleh mengambil tindakan undang2, kami rakyat jelata pun boleh membuat demikian.

Ingat, ya, wang itu adalah hasil dari cukai pendapatan rakyat... dari titik peluh mereka.

Fikir2 lah dahulu sebelum mengeluarkan kenyataan yang akan memakan dan memalukan diri Puan.

Jangan angkuh dan sombong. Rakyat tidak sebodoh saperti yang Puan anggapkan.

,

Anonymous said...

Tok Mommy,

The sun frontpaged a report by journalist Nadeswaran "Globe-trotting VIP wives" today.

Anyway this is what caught my attention:

The issue that comes into question is the dissolution of Balkis. Zaharah, in her capacity as the former president (emphasis is the writer’s), has no power of dissolution. According the Balkis’ constitution, it can only be dissolved by two-thirds of the members at a special meeting convened at the request of at least one-fifth of "ordinary members".

The constitution is clear on such special meetings and it states it must be held within 30 days of receiving notice of such a requisition.

It goes on to say that the notice and agenda of the meeting must be sent out by the secretary to members giving them 14 days’ notice.

Let’s work backwards. If the meeting was held on March 11, the notice must have been given on Feb 25 – at the latest.

But her husband, then the Mentri Besar, was going around campaigning on the lines of "Zero Opposition in Selangor"!

Did Zaharah get a written requisition from one-fifth of the members on Feb 11 – when Parliament was not even dissolved?

Unless of course, some wives knew that their husbands won’t be occupying the seats of power!

Therefore, in short, this whole exercise of dissolution is void because procedures were not followed.

This has been confirmed by the Registrar of Societies, who in his letter dated April 14 to the (new) Selangor Mentri Besar, says: "After going through the application to dissolve Balkis, we discovered that the information provided is incomplete.

I have sent a letter asking Balkis to provide additional information within 30 days."

So, legally, Balkis is not dissolved.


So why is she insistent that the dissolution of Balkis was done according to the rules?