Dont teach your grandmother how to suck eggs! This was how former Cuepacs secretary-general AH Ponniah responded to National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general N Siva Subramaniams attempt to impose a gag order on him.

Siva reportedly told Ponniah not to interfere in trade union affairs in Malaysia as he is now a paid official in a foreign non-governmental organisation.

However, Ponniah said his views about the hotly-contested Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) elections on March 6 were fair comment and nothing personal.

Any matter of public interest must be open to criticism and different opinions. You cant take away a persons right to express his views, he said when contacted today.

He also said his participation or employment in Public Service International should not have been brought up by Siva.

It is similar to being a student in a foreign university and talking on matters affecting Malaysia.

Dissent is one of the tenets and strengths of a democratic movement. A trade union movement should not deny information and knowledge to its members, he said, adding that career/veteran unionists will continue to speak out for the betterment of workers.

No basic trade union education

Ponniah, who was in the General Council of the MTUC for 30 years and served as the vice-president for four terms, also came under fire yesterday for accusing MTUC president Zainal Rampak of being pro-government.

Next weeks MTUC election will see Zainals Team A and comrade-turned-rival G Rajasekarans Team B vying for the top posts in the countrys largest umbrella body for private sector unions.

Siva had openly pledged last Sunday the NUTPs full support for Zainal, who will face Rajasekarans running-mate Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud for the MTUC presidency.

But just four days earlier he had said that the NUTP exco will meet on March 3 to decide on the matter.

Meanwhile, Ponniah also expressed disappointment over the state of trade unionism in the country, saying it was crucial for the movement to be what it was (pro-workers) because things are getting worse and principles are being compromised.

Some leaders in the public sector cannot differentiate between the government and a trade union, said Ponniah today.

It is a pity there is no basic trade union education in the public sector. The situation has come to a stage where they dont even know what collective bargaining is.

Sorry to say, but Siva is leading the pack, becoming a branch of the government. Just because he professes to support the government, he thinks he has a licence to kill, he said, referring to Sivas attempt to gag him.

Ponniah likened Sivas style to that of a one-eyed man who is king in the country of the blind.

One-eyed man

On his earlier statement, Ponniah said he was only interpreting the Zainal-Mohd Shafie power-sharing pact.

MTUC deputy president Mohd Shafie BP Mammal was initially set to challenge Zainal but switched camps to seal a power-sharing pact in return for the top position by Jan 1, 2003, the date when Zainal said he will resign.

Ponniah continued, But dont try to hit me. It also shows [a characters true colours] where intimidation is used to silence dissenting views.

As I had stated earlier, the Zainal-Rajasekaran fallout is based on clear differences. While Zainal became a government man, Rajasekaran remained an independent operator as he has been all this while, without aligning himself to any party.

The upcoming election is the fourth time Syed Shahir, the National Union of Transport Equipment Allied Industry Workers executive secretary, is challenging Transport Workers Union president Zainal. In 1994, the former lost by a mere six votes.

About 600 delegates from 112 affiliates will cast their votes on behalf of more than half a million members.