The war of words between newly appointed Malacca International Trade Centre chief executive officer Hasnoor Hussin and former DAP member of Parliament for Kota Melaka Lim Guan Eng continues today with the latter denying any ulterior motive in exposing the former's credentials.

Lim had called a press conference yesterday to question Hasnoor's appointment for the MITC post as he (Hasnoor) has a criminal breach of trust conviction in 1995.

Hasnoor immediately reacted saying that the DAP was turning the matter into a "political issue" for fear that he may be a candidate in the coming general election.

However, Lim today said he had no reason to expose Hasnoor's record except to demand for greater accountability from the state government and the people it appoints to run state bodies.

"Why would I have an ulterior motive? I cannot stand in the next general election anyway," he said when contacted.

Lim said the appointment of Hasnoor since Jan 1 was disappointing as it gave the "unfortunate impression" that the Melaka state government lacks potential leaders with impeccable track records.

"Is Melaka so bereft of leaders that we have to appoint crooks and bankrupts to these top posts? Statutory bodies are bodies which are entrusted to deal with public assets.

"By appointing high officials with dubious track records, it also reflects badly on the state government and other civil servants who may not have done anything wrong," he said.

Naive government

Hasnoor was quoted in the New Straits Times today as saying that although he was convicted of CBT, he was "entrusted" by the Melaka state government to take up the MITC post because of the exemplary work that he had done while heading other public bodies.

He cited his record as the former deputy chairperson of the Malacca Water Corporation where he "raised the corporation to greater heights by improving its infrastructure".

Dissatisfied with this, Lim said Hasnoor's record did matter because he was convicted for "not just any offence but CBT".

"He has been shown to be untrustworthy. How can he be put in a position to manage hundreds of millions in public assets. The state government is naive to think that this does not matter," he said.

He added that such an action of the Melaka government does not auger well for the efforts of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to eradicate corruption in the civil service.

Last November, Lim also exposed the case of Abdul Manaf Jaffar, secretary of the state's Jasin Municipal Council who was serving in the post despite being declared a bankrupt in October 2002.

The chief minister had defended Abdul Manaf's appointment but Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stepped in and ordered the controversial appointment terminated.