G25 urges Ali Hamsa to resign as Chief Secretary

PETALING JAYA: The G25 group of eminent Malays has called for Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa (pic) to resign amid criticisms against the civil service.

The G25 secretariat said the civil service was previously seen as a pillar of strength and stability for the administration, but now some senior civil servants are seen as part of the problem facing the country.

It said the civil service has been widely criticised, even by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during a live interview on CNN, as unreliable and deeply corrupted by the previous government.

"We believe all these severe criticisms of the civil service whether coming from the political leaders or from the public, reflect badly on the leadership of the Chief Secretary in ensuring discipline and professionalism particularly at the top ranks of secretaries-general," G25 said in a statement on Tuesday (July 31).

"As their career are under his command, the Chief Secretary must take responsibility for all the bad publicity which the civil service has suffered due to their misconduct and his own failure in setting a good example," it added.

The G25 secretariat said the public have lost confidence in the civil service as a neutral institution that can be relied upon in providing policy advice to their ministers.

It said Ali should offer to resign to save the civil service from further disgrace, adding that the move will "clear the deck" for his replacement.

"In view of its pivotal role for our peace and prosperity, G25 calls on the new Chief Secretary to make all efforts necessary to restore the good reputation of the civil service as the institution that can be relied upon to serve the government of the day faithfully for King and Country," it added.

Ali, 63, was appointed as the Chief Secretary in 2012 and is expected to retire in August after his service was continued on a contractual basis during the administration of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Previous reports mentioned Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) director-general Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed as a possible replacement.