SEREMBAN, July 23 — Negri Sembilan deputy state secretary (management) Datuk Masri Razali has been appointed as the new mayor of Seremban City Council (MBS), effective today.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, in a statement today, said Masri took over from Datuk Zazali Salehudin who retired from the civil service.

"The handing over of duties and the swearing-in ceremony were held in accordance with standard operating procedures as stipulated by the National Security Council,” he said.

Masri, who holds a Master’s Degree (Business Administration) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, started his career in the civil service in 1997 as an Islamic Affairs Officer under the administration of the Negeri Sembilan State Secretary.

He was subsequently appointed as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer in the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia in the same year and had served with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Institute of Public Administration and the Public Service Department.

Meanwhile, Aminuddin said the state government expressed its appreciation to Zazali for his service as the MBS mayor since Jan 1 last year.

"During his tenure, the Seremban City status was successfully upgraded as a city and for the first time ever, two local authorities were merged to form the Seremban City Council,” he said. — Reuters