Transfer move long overdue

I REFER to the report, “50 Govt officers to be moved out” (The Star, April 5), about Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa’s announcement that civil servants who have served more than five years in a department of a ministry would soon be transferred to different positions within the ministry or to one of its agencies.

He said this was in line with a Public Service Department circular which states that officers holding sensitive positions for more than five years must be transferred to different posts. The aim is to prevent officers from being entrenched in one position for too long.

It is a welcomed move and should have been implemented long ago.

The civil service is the backbone of the nation’s administrative system and it is imperative that all categories of civil servants are equipped with knowledge and skill to perform their tasks and assignments with optimum efficiency.

In particular, they must have the experience and exposure to execute government policies and implement development plans to enable the country to achieve the high-income nation status by 2020.

During the colonial era and up to the late 1960s, transfer of civil servants from one department to another was a routine affair and a common feature in government service. Officers were transferred periodically to enable them to gain more experience and exposure in different environments so that they would be well prepared to shoulder heavier responsibilities and face greater challenges.

Regular rotation of civil servants will help them enhance their level of proficiency and provide them with opportunities for career development. However, this practice seems to have been discontinued as nowadays we only hear of officers being transferred on promotion or when specifically requested by them for personal reasons.

Civil servants should be rotated once every five years so that they have working knowledge of the various departments under the different ministries and agencies.

The diplomatic and administrative service normally referred to as the “generalist administrators” are called upon to serve in different positions. They can perform more efficiently and make effective contributions if they have served in many ministries. So would those in the common-user services like executive officers and clerks.