KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Datuk Liew Vui Keong said today that available data did not show the existence of the so-called “Deep State” or any concerted resistance against Pakatan Harapan (PH) from within the civil service.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said statistics on disciplinary action taken against civil servants disproved the conspiracy theory of an organised clandestine movement that was disloyal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the country and the ruling party.
“Basically, there are no incidents of disobedience by civil servants towards the ruling government.
“However, monitoring is constantly being carried out to make sure civil servants at all times give their best service to the ruling government,” he said in Parliament during Ministers’ Question Time this morning.
He was responding to Beluran MP Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee who asked if there was a supposed “Deep State” and truth to claims of civil service defiance to the government.
On speculation that the transfers of secretaries-general were to address this problem, Liew said this was not supported by facts.
“If there is such a perception from the public towards civil servants, this perception is something that is intangible, which does not exist in a form that can be traced, so we cannot perceive clearly this is the actual perception and mindset of someone,” answered Liew.
As of June this year, disciplinary action taken against civil servants mostly involved offences related to a poor work attitude.
These included wrongdoings related to monetary abuse, abuse of power, absence and dereliction, making unauthorised public statements, bribery and sexual harassment.
“Up to June, we do not have any statistics that say civil servants are not loyal to the country, government or the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he added.
PH politicians originated the “Deep State” conspiracy theory when they first took over Putrajaya after last year’s general election.
Various leaders have trotted out this claim when trying to explain why the implementation of their policies have not always gone according to plan.
Most recently, Deputy Rural Development Minister R. Sivarasa claimed that a “Deep State” had taken advantage of Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas’s absence to prosecute 12 people including two DAP assemblyman over alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Separately, Klang MP Charles Santiago alleged double standards in authorities’ treatment of the LTTE dozen versus how they dealt with those accused of supporting the Islamic State.
