(From left) MPS president Shahman Jalaludin presenting a token of appreciation to Cheremi at the MPS headquarters. Looking on is Az’har.
THE first week of May saw the return of one familiar face and the promotion of another to a more senior role at Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).
Datuk Cheremi Tarman was appointed the new Orang Besar Daerah Gombak, effective May 1, 2025. He replaces Tan Sri Wan Mahmood Pa’wan Teh, who retired on April 30.
The Orang Besar Daerah Gombak serves as a representative of the Sultan of Selangor.
According to MPS, Cheremi is expected to be sworn in soon as a local councillor, upon receiving a letter of appointment from the Selangor government.
Prior to his retirement, Wan Mahmood was councillor for Zone 2, which covers areas such as Taman Gombak Jaya, Kampung Tengah Gombak, Kampung Kerdas, Taman Setia Gombak, Kampung Kenangan and Gombak Setia.
Cheremi previously served at MPS for two years and three months, first as deputy president, then acting president.
Before retiring from the civil service last year, he was the Shah Alam mayor.
Following his latest appointment, Cheremi held a courtesy visit to MPS’ headquarters in Bandar Baru Selayang on May 5 for a discussion with MPS’ senior management to strengthen ties and enhance cooperation between his office and MPS.
An engineer by profession, the 61-year-old had also previously served as Engineering Department director at Shah Alam City Council and Petaling Jaya City Council.
Meanwhile, MPS Treasury Department director Az’har Samsuri was appointed the local council’s new deputy president, effective May 2.
Following his promotion, Treasury Department deputy director Rohayu Ramli will serve as the department’s acting director.
The previous MPS deputy president Adi Faizal Ahmad Tarmizi was posted to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry on March 1.
Az’har, 57, holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Universiti Utara Malaysia.
When contacted, MPS councillor and DAP whip U Chin Ong lauded the appointments, saying both men would bring their expertise and experiences to the municipal council.
“Az’har has been working at MPS for many years and was MPS deputy secretary.
“He knows the council’s operations well, he understands the background of many issues and knows which department director handles which matter.
“As a long-time staff member, Az’har will be able to assist MPS president Shahman Jalaludin well, who is relatively new, in terms of running the council,” he said.
U, who oversees Zone 12, said Cheremi was a dedicated person and he welcomed the latter’s technical knowledge and expertise.
“Cheremi’s contributions at MPS are much valued. At one point when he was acting president, he set a condition that in order for developers to get planning permissions for their housing projects, they would have to first build common facilities, such as community halls and parks,” said U.
“That condition is welcomed as in our past experience, there were situations where the developer built the houses first and exited without completing the common facilities, which resulted in vacant spaces and short-changed residents.”
He said having Cheremi on board would help MPS in mapping out its 2030 Local Plan and target to become a city council.
MPS councillor and PKR whip Sulaiman Abu Samah believes the two new appoint-ments will be to MPS’ advantage.
“Cheremi’s expertise will be useful in matters related to infrastructure and planning, such as slopes and drainage systems.
“As councillor, Wan Mahmood previously sat in the One-Stop Centre and Finance Committees. If Cheremi is appointed councillor, his contributions to those committees will be very helpful,” he said.
Sulaiman said he has known Az’har since the former was first appointed as councillor in 2015.
He described Az’har as a hands-on person with solid knowledge of the council’s financial matters.
“The fact that the deputy president has a finance background is good, because this person knows the council’s operations, budgets and estimated expenditures,” added Sulaiman.
