Two teachers have lodged police reports after receiving warning letters from the Education Department not to get involved in helping the opposition to campaign in this election.
One of them told the media that the unfair accusation made by the department was based on a complaint letter that the department received from Assistant Minister for Rural Development and Housing Datuk Francis Harden.
The complaint letter dated Apr 14 bears SUPP letterhead and was signed by Harden.
The letter stated that the two teachers had been involved in assisting the opposition in political activities and called on the department to transfer them elsewhere.
The teacher who produced both letters as evidence said that the complaint letter had tarnished his image and would affect the department’s evaluation on him.
The teacher believed that apart from him, three other teachers were suffering the same fate and had confronted Harden.
He said in the letter, Harden had requested the department to take immediate action and transfer the teacher from the area before polling day on May 7.
Is this the self-same Harden whose personal secretary was caught stealing the disability pensions of his constituents?
The worst part of that particular shocking story is that when it was all brought into the open, Harden tried to shut the victim up by paying him back just HALF of the money he was owed!
The question, therefore, is not why are right minded teachers in his constituency supporting the opposition (which is entirely within their democratic rights), but why is Harden showing the brass neck to stand again?
The reason, of course, is that BN plan to bribe, bully and gerrymander another ‘victory’ in the state by using exactly the same tactics that Harden is now employing.
The term is ‘criminal abuse of power’ and it is a very, very, very serious crime, which will eventually come back to haunt all perpetrators of it.