JOHOR BARU: Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Abdul Wahab Mat Yasin reached the compulsory retirement age of 60 on Monday (May 29), but there has been no official announcement if there will be an extension of his period of service or if there is another taking over the post.
Abdul Wahab's deputy Datuk Edwin Galan Teruki has been tipped to take over the post.
Candidates for top positions are usually alerted in advance to allow for the department to plan a smooth transition including the "Paluan Berundur" retirement ceremony.
Sources said that the department's top brass have always left upon reaching compulsory retirement age and no director-general had their period of service extended before.
Both Abdul Wahab and Edwin, who is deputy director-general (operations), could not be reached for comment.
Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad is the department's deputy director-general for development.
Sources said that the government should make an announcement on the matter soon as it was important to maintain continuity in the department, especially as they were involved in drafting guidelines for electric vehicles (EV) in the country and also creating an online portal or system for the issuance of fire certificates and submitting of building plans under the epremises project.
