'No suspension notice received' — Negri state legal adviser reports to work

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Muzalmah Mustapha Kamal, Negri Sembilan state legal adviser, reported for duty as usual today, despite the state government proclaiming her immediate suspension the previous day. Muzalmah stated that she was following the Attorney-General's directive to continue serving in Negri Sembilan. She affirmed that she was not obstructed from entering her office and was now working without hindrance.

Muzalmah claimed not to have received an official notification of her suspension, learning about it only through media reports. She emphasized that civil servants are bound by federal directives, thus she would adhere to the decisions affecting her. The Attorney-General, Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, directed Muzalmah and Negri Sembilan state secretary Datuk Mohd Zafir Ibrahim to fulfill their duties as normal, asserting that the state executive council's suspension of them yesterday was invalid.

Dusuki explained that the two senior government officials cannot be barred from entering their offices, as such action would be unlawful. The Attorney-General informed yesterday that the Negri Sembilan state executive council lacks legal authority to suspend the state secretary and state legal adviser, citing Article 37 of the Negri Sembilan Constitution 1959, which places matters of appointment under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission and the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.