P KUBOR BN’s Pengkalan Kubor candidate Mat Razi Mat Ail’s schoolteacher wife's ability to take leave to campaign for her husband is called to question, given that this practice was frowned upon before.

Normala Sudirman, who was PAS’ Tenang by-election candidate in 2011, said that this is unfair as her husband was investigated by the Education Ministry, for supporting her while he was on leave.

Normala, who is now president of PAS-linked NGO for teachers, Persatuan Gerakan Kebangkitan Pendidik Kebangsaan (Pendidik), said such a "double standard" is unethical.

"Pendidik has received many complaints about this, and this proves that double standards exist in the treatment of teachers who, by right, should follow the ethics of the teaching profession according to the Buku Perintah Am ," Normala said in a statement.

The Buku Perintah Am is a document that governs the conducts of civil servants, including teachers.

Khairos Husin, who is the wife of Mat Razi ( left ), is a teacher at SK Simpangan and is reportedly on a week’s leave to assist her husband by campaigning for him, door-to-door.

Show-cause letter issued

Normala, who is better known as Cikgu Mala, said that this was a far cry to what happened to her husband three years ago.

On Jan 28, 2011, the Education Ministry investigated her husband, Ma'arof Abd Talib, for abusing a medical chit so that he could take leave from work to campaign for his wife in her election battle.

Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (below) said this was needed as Ma’arof was on extended medical leave of 21 days, and yet was seen on the campaign trail.

However, PAS explained that Ma’arof, a teacher at SMK Tenang Station, was on leave as he was suffering from a simple depressive disorder, not from any critical illness.

Normala lost in the election to the BN’s Mohd Azahar Ibrahim by 3,707 votes.

Recalling the episode, Normala said her husband’s depression exacerbated following Umno’s acts of "mixing party politics with education".

She said her husband also suffered from further psychological stress after he was issued a show-cause letter that said he could be sacked or demoted.

"Between the Tenang by-election and Pengkalan Kubor by-election, it is clear that educators are treated unfairly and with double standards," she said.