PSC not sabotaging govt, says chief secretary

PUTRAJAYA: Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Bakar yesterday said the Public Service Commission (PSC) is not sabotaging the government by giving officers hired by Pakatan Harapan lower grades and salaries.

“We are not sabotaging the government,” he tweeted in response to a news article by a local daily.

Ismail said PSC was correcting hiring breaches made by the previous government and following procedures set by PH.

“The previous government did not follow some procedures.

“The PH government wants us to follow procedures for integrity and good governance,” he told the Malay Mail.

He said this following claims that PSC and the Public Service Department (PSD) were going against the orders of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Reports said PSD officers had reassigned the grades of newly appointed officers in Dr Mahathir ’s administration, which would affect their salaries.

Ismail refuted these claims, saying that the government was guided by a 2012 circular on posts and service matters relating to the offices of ministers and deputy ministers.

“We will check the salary starting point of each grade. For example, for Grade 54, maybe the starting point will be higher.”

It was reported last month that many political appointees had not received their salaries for more than two months.

Dr Mahathir said last week that civil servants loyal to Barisan Nasional had refused to pay the salaries of officers under the PH government.