KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 ― There will be a mass reshuffle in government departments next Monday following their new appointments yesterday, according to Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Bakar.
Local daily Berita Harian reported that the positions for nine ministry secretary-generals and three director-generals are involved in the mass promotion and reassignment exercise.
The Chief Secretary to the Government reportedly handed the letters of appointments to the 12 in a ceremony yesterday at the Prime Minister's Department, during which he explained that the ceremony was done after receiving the prime minister's consent.
“Their appointments take effect this Monday and it is part of the normal process of changing of positions, filling up vacancies left by officers who retire from civil service and change in positions,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
Berita Harian listed the officials as including Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim being shifted to the Works Ministry as secretary-general, with his role to be taken over by Datuk Dr Mohd Gazali Abas who was only appointed Education Ministry secretary-general on June 20.
Mohd Ghazali’s role as Education Ministry secretary-general will be filled by former Perlis state secretary Datuk Dr Syed Omar Sharifuddin Syed Ikhsan who will be promoted.
Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim will be shifted to be the Federal Territories Ministry secretary-general, while Transport Ministry deputy secretary-general (policy) Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman will be promoted to be secretary-general, the report said.
Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Tan Yew Chong will swap places with Primary Industries secretary-general Datuk Zurinah Pawanteh.
Malaysia’s permanent representative to the United Nations Datuk Seri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, 58, will be the Foreign Ministry secretary-general, to replace 61-year-old Datuk Seri Ramlan Ibrahim whose contract ends January 6.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry deputy secretary-general (consumerism and management) Datuk Muez Abdul Aziz will be promoted to be secretary-general, while Home Ministry deputy secretary general (management) Datuk Jamil Rakon will be the new Immigration Department’s director-general to replace Datuk Seri Mustafar Ibrahim who was recently appointed to head the National Financial Crime Centre.
Also promoted are Shah Alam mayor Datuk Ahmad Zaharin Mohd Saad who will be the director-general of the Lands and Mines department (JKPTG), Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) deputy director-general Datuk Zolkipli Dahalan who will now be its director-general, and former JKPTG director-general Datuk Seri Salehudin Ishak will be the new Pahang state secretary.
In a statement issued later today by the chief secretary to the government, he announced the full list of the 12 new secretary-generals, including Datuk Isham Ishak who will be the new Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry secretary-general, with his position as Ministry of International Trade and Industry secretary-general to be taken over by current Youth and Sports Ministry secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali.
Lokman’s position will be taken over by his deputy secretary-general (operations) Dr Waitchalla RRV Suppiah, who will be promoted to be Youth and Sports Ministry secretary-general.
“The filling up of these positions was carried out following vacancies (due to mandatory retirement and end of contract term of those holding the positions) and taking into account the need to carry out rotation of placements among the existing ministry secretary-generals,” the chief secretary to the government said in the statement, describing it as a step of “renewal” in the civil service.
It is now about seven months into the administration of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, which took over Putrajaya in the May 9, 2018 elections.
