JOHOR BARU: AS the dust begins to settle on the controversy surrounding the Johor Housing and Property Board 2014 enactment, attention now turns to the formation of the board and its composition.
Under the enactment, which was approved by the state assembly on Monday, 11 members will sit on the board, with seven being permanent and four appointed.
The seven are the menteri besar, housing and local government executive committee chairman, state secretary, legal adviser, financial officer, Rural and Urban Planning Department director and Economic Planning Unit director.
The menteri besar will hold the chairman's post, while the housing and local government executive committee chairman is deputy chairman.
State secretary Datuk Ismail Karim, legal adviser Datuk Ishak Sahari, financial officer Marsan Kassim, Johor Rural and Urban Planning Department director Zaleha Shaari and Economic Planning Unit director A. Rahim Nin will fill up the remaining slots, but speculation has surfaced on the potential candidates to take up the remaining four posts to be appointed by the sultan of Johor, with the advice from the menteri besar.
While it is still too early to speculate on who will sit on the board, several names have already cropped up as potential candidates for the four posts.
Among the names are Semarang assemblyman Samsol Bari Jamali, Rengit assemblyman Ayub Jamil, Tanjung Surat assemblyman Datuk Syed Sis Syed Abdul Rahman, Bukit Permai assemblyman Ali Mazat Salleh and Kukup assemblyman Suhaimi Salleh.
Samsol Bari, 54, and Ayub, 55, are seasoned politicians who have been assemblymen for many terms. Both have grassroots support and are regarded as having a firm understanding of the needs of Johoreans.
They have seen Johor develop over the past decade, with affordable housing becoming an issue for low- and middle-income earners because of the rapid development that had led to sky-rocketing prices of property, rent and land.
Both Samsol Bari and Ayub have strong credentials and the necessary support to carry out their responsibilities if appointed to the board. It has come as no surprise that their names have been bandied about as potential candidates.
Former engineer Syed Sis, 61, has experience handling land matters, especially those involving Pengerang residents, as the Petrochemicals Integrated Development (Rapid) project is located there.
First-term assemblyman Ali Mazat, 43, on the other hand, has been vocal in fighting for the rights of Johoreans. He was an active Umno Youth leader even before becoming assemblyman.
The civil engineering graduate, who hails from Felda Taib Andak, is described as being down-to-earth, despite his trademark fiery speeches in the state assembly.
However, Suhaimi's name came as a surprise, as the first-term assemblyman is considered a newcomer to Johor's political scene.
The 46-year-old only came into the limelight late last year in the state assembly when he created a stir by accusing DAP's Yeo Tung Siong, who is the state assemblyman for Pekan Nenas, of being a communist.
At the same time, the names of two established south Johor members of parliament are being mooted as possible candidates, based on their work on urban housing issues and their corporate experience.
One is Johor Baru lawmaker Tan Sri Shahrir Samad, who has knowledge and experience in matters related to the resettlement of squatters and land issues in urban areas.
The 64-year-old veteran politician, who also sits on the advisory board of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority, is seen as the right candidate for the task because of his active role in handling housing matters involving those from the low- to middle-income group.
Another popular name that has cropped-up is that of the Public Accounts Committee chairman and Pulai lawmaker Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who has experience in development matters prior to entering politics.
The 48-year-old, who is the son of late Umno veteran Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, was formerly Uda Holdings Bhd chairman and currently sits on the boards of several development companies.
Nur Jazlan's experience as an accountant will help, as he has a reputation for transparency and accountability in his work.
"The inclusion of Shahrir and Nur Jazlan to the board is a plus point, as its members can gain from their accumulated experience and their understanding in solving issues with a booming urban population," said a political pundit. However, questions have been raised on whether MPs could sit on a state board.
On Monday, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the board would be formed by the first quarter of next year.
"There is no hurry. The state government would need to find the right people in terms of human resources to staff the board," he said after the enactment was passed by the state assembly.
Khaled had declined to comment when asked if the board would be staffed by members of the Johor civil service or professionals in the field, saying it was too early to determine the composition of the board at this stage.
