KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — “Political guidance” is important to ensure the smooth running of the civil service, and the hiring and firing of public servants should not be seen as “political interference”, Datuk Irmohizam Ibrahim said today.

The Umno supreme council member said although the three arms of government — legislative, executive and judiciary — should run independently, “political guidance” was inevitable, and even necessary in a democratic system.

“Appointing, promoting and firing civil servants should not be seen as an act of political interference.

“In certain situations, political decisions are appropriate and should be allowed if it can bring benefit to the people and country,” he said, reading off prepared slides at the 2015 National Integrity Convention: Facing current challenges at the Integrity Tower here.

The Kuala Selangor MP was speaking during the session “Civil Service: Is there political interference?”

Although reshuffling of positions within the civil service is not an unusual occurrence, the few high profile transfers of government workers involved in investigations into state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in recent months have raised eyebrows, with some even alleging political interference in the civil service.

On July 28, Chief Secretary Tan Sri Ali Hamsa made the sudden announcement that then Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, who was leading a special task force investigating 1MDB, was no longer the A-G effective the day before, owing to the latter’s “health”.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced a new line-up in a Cabinet reshuffle, dropping several ministers including his then deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had urged Najib to address the 1MDB controversy, just days prior.

Several Barisan Nasional MPs who were in the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), including its chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, were also appointed be part of Najib’s administration, disqualifying them from the committee.

The PAC was in the midst of investigating 1MDB at the time and proceedings were suspended for about three months, until a new chairman from the ruling BN was appointed during this parliamentary meeting.

In August, two Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) directors were transferred to the Prime Minister’s Department allegedly over “disciplinary issues”.

The transfer, which was later rescinded, followed the arrests and questioning of seven MACC officers over the alleged leak of investigations into 1MDB.

Today, Irmohizam said “political interference” should not exist, but “political intervention” has to take place for the greater good.

“The civil service is an entity that provides their professional services to the government of the day,” he said.

Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), who was speaking at the same session, refuted Irmohizam.

“The fact is, there is political interference directly and indirectly whether we realise it or not,” he said, using the practice of support letters from politicians to request for transfer of teachers in government schools, as an example.

He added that there is a need for a clear definition of political interference and to identify whether the practice has been institutionalised.