Ismail to head civil service
Treasury sec-gen starts work as chief sec from today
PUTRAJAYA: The meteoric rise of Treasury secretarygeneral Datuk Seri Ismail Bakar since the change of government on May 9 continued following his appointment as Chief Secretary to the government.
Ismail, 58, replaced Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, whose contract was only due to end in August 2020 before it was terminated earlier.
Four years ago, Ismail was the secretarygeneral of the Agriculture and Agrobased Industry Ministry.
He joined the civil service in 1986 and had served in various capacities, especially in the Finance Ministry where he spent a large portion of his career.
This included head of planning, research and policy of the ministry’s government procurement division, head of section of the division as well as director of national budget.
“He was confined to the national budget and never got involved with other matters in the MoF such as 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB),” said a source.
When Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was looking to replace longserving Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Siregar Abdullah in the top Treasury post, Ismail’s name cropped up as the most suitable candidate.
Having replaced Mohd Irwan on June 12, six weeks later he finds himself elevated as the country’s top civil servant.
Ismail, who has a career spanning 32 years, has extensive experience in economic and
financial management.
He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) degree from Universiti Malaya, Master of Business Administration and PhD from the University of Hull in England.
It is learnt that Ali, who turns 63
today, received a letter informing him of the ending of his contract on Monday.
He was appointed Chief Secretary in 2012.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad handed the letter of appointment to Ismail in his office at Perdana Putra yesterday. Also present was Ali.
Ismail will begin his term as head of the country’s 1.5 millionstrong civil service today.
The latest development puts to rest speculation on the fate of Ali as the cumbersome transition of the civil service under the new government continues.
“The appointment of Ismail marks the start of a series of changes that would see officials in lower positions being moved up the ranks in the civil service,” said an official close to the government.
Ismail pledged to implement the Prime Minister’s instruction well to ensure efficient delivery of public service.
“In this era, we want to ensure that integrity and accountability are at the best level among the civil servants,” he told reporters.
The Star had earlier reported that Ali will be retiring at the end of the month after serving in the post for six years.
When he reached the retirement age of 60 in 2015, the previous administration extended his term for three years, and later extended it to August 2020.
In a tweet, Ali congratulated Ismail and wished him all the best.
He clocked out of his office at the Perdana Putra building for the last time at 5pm yesterday.