“He is in the middle of appointing somebody to replace him. However, the process will take time since consent is needed from the prime minister and the sultan of Pahang,” the aide said.
This comes just four days after Wan Saiful Wan Jan, a special adviser to Maszlee, abruptly announced his resignation, fuelling speculation that the former think tank head, too, was unhappy with the way the minister had warded off criticism of his appointment at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
The sultan of Pahang, who is the constitutional head of IIUM, reportedly named Maszlee as the varsity’s president.
But the decision did not sit well with some student groups, who said it was against the coalition’s promise not to put politicians in charge of academic institutions.
FMT has learnt that the Cabinet recently echoed calls by the student groups for Maszlee to vacate the post.
His office said Maszlee had decided to delay his exit from IIUM until the end of its four-day convocation ceremony which begins tomorrow.
“It still needs a president, and after the convocation the process of replacement will take place. It is a matter of due process,” said his aide.
It is understood that the issue of Maszlee’s IIUM presidency was first raised by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself during a PH presidential council meeting in early October.
Maszlee, a former academic active in Muslim professional circles, was thrust into media limelight after being named to head the education ministry, one of the key ministries where major reforms are expected under the new PH government that came to power after the May 9 election.
Many hoped then that Maszlee’s academic credentials would finally offer a glimmer of hope for real reforms in the education sector, despite the failures of past programmes by every incoming senior politician who had occupied the post, including Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Razak.
Although Maszlee found himself the darling of some media outlets, his critics were unenthused, with many saying he would be unable to take on the herculean task of reforming the country’s education system.
“Heading the education ministry is a role that is littered with political landmines, and Maszlee is not naive enough to ignore this. Yet he readily accepted the post,” said one source close to Maszlee’s academic circles.
The exit of Wan Saiful from Maszlee’s office was seen as a blow to him at a time when he struggles with criticism from both sides of the political divide.
Wan Saiful was quick to deny speculation of a fallout with Maszlee, saying he wanted to concentrate on his other task of reorganising the government’s study loan scheme, the National Higher Education Fund, where he is the chairman.
The fund has been saddled with a multi-billion ringgit debt from defaulting borrowers, further complicated by promises made by PH during the general election on which it was forced to backtrack in the recent budget.
There was also speculation that Wan Saiful was trying to distance himself from Maszlee and the issues surrounding the IIUM presidency, allegedly because he was uncomfortable with having to handle the controversial appointment.
When contacted, Wan Saiful brushed aside the suggestion.
“The reason for my resignation was already made clear,” he told FMT.
Maszlee recently drew flak from PPBM’s Kadir Jasin, whose views are seen as influential in Mahathir’s circles, when he hit out at the minister over the appointment of Abdul Wahid Omar to head the board of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Wahid was appointed as a senator to take charge of a portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Department during Najib Razak’s administration. He later resigned his ministerial post.
Following the change of government, the former Maybank chief was also removed as chairman of the government’s investment tool, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB).
“Maybe Maszlee wasn’t aware that Abdul Wahid was removed from PNB or he didn’t agree with the latter’s removal. Or just that Maszlee is too clever for ordinary mortals,” Kadir said in a blog post.
Maszlee also came under attack over his proposal to change the colour of school shoes from white to black, with Barisan Nasional MPs labelling him the “shoe minister”.
The problems Maszlee is facing are only the tip of the iceberg, according to one source.
Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see Maszlee’s replacement in IIUM, since the 44-year-old has confidently said he would undertake reforms much needed in the three-decade-old institution.