KUALA LUMPUR: A workers’ union tonight warned of a protracted squabble following the reappointment of Mohd Rani Hisham Samsuddin as Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) CEO.
The Railwaymen Union of Malaya or RUM said Rani’s appointment was not “based on merit or his performance” which is required in an organisation like KTMB.
“Don’t blame the union if Rani’s appointment as CEO will lead to long-drawn disputes,” the union’s president, Abdul Razak Md Hassan said on Facebook.
KTMB earlier today named Rani as its CEO, with immediate effect. He replaces Kamarulzaman Zainal, whose services was ended yesterday, after just over a year at the helm.
This is a second stint for Rani, 58, who had previously served as KTMB CEO from September 2017 to September 2019.
Razak said the union’s ties with Rani during the latter’s first stint as CEO were strained after both sides clashed over several issues.
He went on to express regret that the finance ministry had green-lit Rani’s appointment despite the union’s protest.
Razak alleged that Rani’s appointment was lobbied by a group of people, which the union labelled as a “mafia”, for their own interest.
“It is sad that the finance ministry were duped by certain groups without thinking about the future of the workers or KTMB.
“The finance ministry did not listen to our grouses,” he said.
It was previously reported that the union was against any plan to replace Kamarulzaman with Rani, and made an appeal to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to intervene in the matter.