IPOH, Feb 22 — Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said today the appointment of special officers in Opposition-held constituencies was not meant to threaten or undermine anyone’s career.He said the 26 menteri besar’s special officers were appointed to ensure smoother government administration in those areas, and Opposition lawmakers should work harder if they feel they were not performing as well.“The appointment of these special officers was to allow district officers to invite state government representatives to district action council meetings,” he told reporters at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here.He said this was necessary as there were no ruling government representatives in those constituencies.Saarani was responding to claims on social media that labelled the appointments as corrupt practices.He said the allegation, reportedly made by PAS’ Kenering assemblyman Husairi Ariffin, was incorrect and insisted that Husairi’s RM11,000 monthly allowance was not at risk.“If he feels that he is underperforming and that the special officer will perform better by visiting the areas, then he needs to work harder,” he said.He added that Husairi was free to carry out his activities but could not stop the special officer from doing their job.Saarani said the special officers would be evaluated at the end of the year and could be replaced if they failed to perform.“If they work hard, attend the ground events, and interact with people, they could even be potential candidates for the next election,” he said. He said the key criteria for the role were trustworthiness and the ability to carry out assigned tasks.“I have instructed them to go down to the ground to inform the people of the work the state government has been doing, because the opposition would definitely not say the good work the government is carrying out,” he added