The Malaysian Insight

FIVE ministries will see the transfer of senior civil servants this week, part of changes to eight ministries expected by year-end following requests by ministers.

The transfers involve the secretaries-general from the Rural and Regional Development, Human Resources and Entrepreneur Development Ministries, said a government source.

The source said the transfers do not mean sabotage had taken place but made at the ministers’ requests to ensure smoother operations.

The three ministries mentioned are part of the eight that The Malaysian Insight reported on earlier this month involving changes of senior civil servants as Pakatan Harapan moves to deal with an alleged “deep state” within the civil service.

The other ministries involved are Agriculture and Agro-based Industry; Tourism, Arts and Culture; Education; Communications and Multimedia; and Works.

The change at the Agriculture Ministry involved its secretary-general Mohd Sallehhuddin Hassan, who was moved to the Public Service Department (PSD) pool, and Tourism Ministry secretary-general Isham Ishak’s move to the Transport Ministry.

Director-general of primary industries Dr Tan Yew Chong was also moved back to the PSD, while Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Jamil Rakon was promoted to secretary-general at the same ministry.

The vacancy for secretary-general in the Agriculture Ministry will be filled by former Perak state secretary Zainal Azman Abu Seman.

The secretary-general’s post in the Tourism Ministry and Primary Industries Ministry is still vacant.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad earlier this week was asked about the alleged deep state within the civil service that was sabotaging the PH administration. He said he would look into such claims.

The existence of a “deep state” within the civil service has been mentioned by a few ministers but it remains unclear if it is an organised secret body or individual civil servants who are pro-Barisan Nasional or who have yet to adjust to working under the new government.

The government source told The Malaysian Insight that since PH took over the federal administration, “many” civil servants near the retirement age were released, while those on contract were not extended.

“Under the PH government, many civil servants are leaving once their term expires, they’re not being extended.”

The source said one of these would be the Chief Secretary to the Government, Ismail Bakar, who was appointed to the post in August last year.

He is due to retire on January 9 when he turns 60 and won’t have his service extended.

The new chief secretary is likely to be from the Finance Ministry, said the source. – December 16, 2019.