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Contacted today, Director-General of Trade Union (DGTU) Mohd Zubir Mohd Basri
said he has accepted their nominations after consulting with the Human Resources
Ministry’s legal advisor.
<p>"After checking with the legal advisor, I accepted the four nominations
based on the definition of them being workmen.</p>
<p>"They are legitimate candidates in the upcoming elections," he added.</p>
<p>The doubted candidacies were those of Muhammad Fauzi Shamsuddin and J Solomon
(photo, right) who are vying for positions as principal officer-bearers, and
L Baskaran and R Sivagandi from the Penang and Kuala Lumpur branch respectively.</p>
<p>Four other nominations have been rejected, including Seremban-based ex-official
Mohd Noor Basir after his name was found registered under the Kuala Lumpur branch.</p>
<p>The candidates’ lists for the branch committee election and branch delegates
are displayed on the ministry website.</p>
<p>The NUBE branch committee elections are on Sunday with Kelantan polling one
day ahead, marking the first step by members in breaking a four-year impasse
over the union’s leadership.</p>
<p>Principal office-bearers will be elected on Aug 6 and 7.</p>
<p><b>’Doing our best'</b></p>
<p>Over the last few weeks, there were concerns over the legitimacy of certain
candidates with regards to their employment and union membership status.</p>
<p>Some were also worried that this issue, if not handled properly, may lead to
more legal suits after the polls.</p>
<p>The two main contenders, Muhammad Fauzi Shamsuddin and J Solomon, were sacked
by Eon Bank Bhd and BCB Bank Bhd on Jan 6 and April 29 last year respectively.</p>
<p>The former was for allegedly going absent without leave whereas 10 other members
including Solomon were dismissed for alleged misconduct.</p>
<p>Both Muhammad Fauzi and Solomon were the union president and general-secretary
until Oct 29, 2001, when the latter was abruptly removed from his post. Both
are key candidates representing rival factions in the upcoming NUBE polls.</p>
<p>Despite the piling complaints courtesy of concerned members and due to technical
glitches and human error, Mohd Zubir remains optimistic.</p>
<p>"We’re doing everything we can to ensure a smooth election. We are rectifying
errors as they are brought to our attention. We can only do our best given the
circumstances," he said when contacted today.</p>
<p>The triennial general meeting has also been brought forward to 4pm following
members’ complaints. It had been scheduled for 8pm on polling day.</p>
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com