IMMEDIATE measures are underway to fill the three vacant positions on the Board of Trustees for the Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged following the resignations of its members, as stated by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
The land of the Home belongs to the Penang and Province Wellesley Silver Jubilee Fund (“Corporation”), in which Chow is the current Board of Trustees chairman, by virtue of his position as the Penang Chief Minister. This is also stated in Section 3(1) of the Penang and Province Wellesley Jubilee Fund Act 1965 (“Jubilee Fund Act”).
Chow assures that services to the elderly residents at the Home would not face disruption due to unforeseen circumstances, as prompt actions are being taken to fill the vacant positions.
“The Home’s Board of Trustees comprises four members, including myself as the chairman. Our primary task is to expeditiously fill the Board positions, followed by the appointment of members to the General Committee.
“The General Committee, currently with nine members, has seen two resignations. The Board of Trustees is now focused on establishing the General Committee, and we aim for a smooth transition once the new governance structure is in place,” he informed Buletin Mutiara.
Chow expressed hope that the new committee would collaborate effectively with the Home’s management team to provide excellent services to the elderly residents.
Prior to this statement, Chow visited the Home and engaged in a 30-minute discussion with the staff, along with state Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Lim Siew Khim.
The issue came to light when the three Trustees proposed the construction of a five-block workers’ hostel at the Home, which did not adhere to the relevant procedures outlined in the state’s Competency, Accountability, and Transparency (CAT) principles.
Chow clarified that the preparatory works for the project began independently before he was briefed in April last year.
Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping in a press conference yesterday (Dec 1), announced his resignation as a Trustee of the Corporation. It is understood that he served a six-month notice with effect from June 2 this year.
Meanwhile, Bernard Kok’s resignation as Trustee came into effect on Jan 1 this year; outgoing treasurer and member of the General Committee Ong Jin Sin with effect from Dec 31 this year; and outgoing Trustee and General Committee chairman Datuk Loh Yeow Boo with effect from Jan 1 next year (2024).
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix and video by Darwina Mohd Daud