I refer to the headlines in various press reports outlining the report on KFC Holdings (M) Bhd prepared by a consulting outfit in town.

While not wanting to comment on the report itself lest I receive any legal letters for slander, I am nevertheless totally appalled and flabbergasted that the KFC managing director has been suspended based on this report.

I am shocked that a private company has shown such blatant disregard for the law of employment with requires that absolute confidentiality is maintained during show-cause proceedings as it is a private matter.

Also, reading what the report itself contains, an issue has been made with regards to directors' pay . Shouldn't one also hold the board of directors responsible as the annual accounts (which is published for all to see) would have clearly shown the directors' remuneration and related benefits as required under the Companies Act and also Bursa Malaysia rules? Why has this not been spotted before?

In accounting lingo, these are what are called as disclosure items. Whatever enjoyed by the directors are disclosed in the accounts and if the disclosure is not there, then the auditors should be held to account.

Apart from that, surely a competent and professional board would and should have gone through the quarterly income statement released to Bursa Malaysia and vetted it. Wasn't this done?

We always have a real go at government for trampling and trespassing on the rights of the public but here we have a private company which has clearly violated the basic principles of domestic disciplinary hearing and the related show-cause and suspension orders.

I weep for corporate Malaysia today, not because a managing director has been publicly suspended but for the years that no one noticed anything amiss, including a board of directors which must have happily approved the financial statements and collected their fees and then quickly passed the blame onto a convenient scapegoat.