Bernama
New Straits Times25 April 2018
JOHOR BARU: Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi has confirmed today his resignation as director- general of Special Affairs Department (Jasa). This ends speculation that was rife on social media over the past few days , after his name was dropped from the list of BN Johor candidates for the 14th General Election (GE14).
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Puad said today is his last day in the department, and he would not budge on his decision to resign.
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi said today is his last day in the department, and he would not budge on his decision to resign. Pix from Puad’s Facebook Page
'I know many will condemn me. I remain steadfast. I am history now in Jasa. Such a hot seat that DAP even brought a motion to Parliament in its final session this year to dissolve Jasa. Prior to this, in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) budget, they had recommended that Jasa be shut down.
"If you want to recall one by one, there are a lot things that have been done that made Jasa increasingly known, including in the rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, and also among Malaysian students overseas,"he said in the statement.Puad, who was appointed to the position in March 2015, also expressed his gratitude to all Jasa staff for helping him to lead the department.
However, Puad, who is also the Batu Pahat UMNO Division chief, did not elaborate on his position in the party as for now.
Two days ago, Johor BN chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced that Batu Pahat Women's chief Haliza Abdullah would replace Mohd Puad as the candidate for the Batu Pahat parliamentary seat.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported as saying that the decision for not nominating Mohd Puad as BN candidate in Batu Pahat for GE14 was made based on an evaluation of the local political landscape, including in the parliamentary constituency.
Mohd Puad contested in the parliamentary constituency in GE13, but lost to PKR candidate Datuk Mohd Idris Jausi with a majority 1,732 undi.
Until late Sunday night, a message believed from Mohd Puad became viral on WhatsApp, that stated his decision to resign from Jasa, and to contest as an independent candidate following his exclusion as BN candidate for GE14. - BERNAMA
