| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Malaysia |
|---|
 |
The Malaysian civil service (Malay: Perkhidmatan awam Malaysia) is the set of civil servants working for the Government of Malaysia. According to Article 132 of the Federal Constitution, "public services" comprise the Armed Forces, the judicial and legal service, the general public service of the Federation, the police force, the joint public services, the public service of each State and the education service.[1]
However, the term may be extended to federal and state statutory bodies as well as local authorities as they are regarded as "public authority" equally to the public services under Article 160 of the Constitution.[1] In addition, those bodies resemble the public services in many respects including procedures of appointment and termination, terms and conditions of service, remuneration system and retirement benefits.
As at 2020, Malaysia has around 1.6 million civil servants.[2]
History edit
The Malaysian civil service has existed prior to the establishment of Malaysia, but its history dated back to the 18th century when the British East India Company acquired Penang in 1786. On that time, civil service was driven by 85 Administrative Officers who were prominent scholarship holders from England.[3] In 1896, Straits Settlements Civil Service (SSCS) and Federated Malay States Civil Service (FMS) was established to drive administration in their respective states. SSCS and FMS was merged in 1921 into Malayan Civil Service (MCS).[4] Only British officers were able to be in MCS, but MCS was later opened to Malays, which Raja Said Tauphy and Hamzah Abdullah was among the first persons to join MCS.
In 1929, Malay Administrative Service (MAS) was formed to allow Malays to be apprentices to British officers in MCS.[4] Raja Chulan was the first Malay in MAS to hold a high administrative position by being a District Officer in Northern Perak.[3]
MCS continues to take place all the time of history, especially when Japan conquered Malaya in 1941 and the return of British rule from 1945 to Merdeka Day. MCS was renamed as Malaysian Home and Foreign Service (MHFS) in 1966[5] and Administrative and Diplomatic Service (PTD) in 1972.
Prior to Merdeka Day, MCS was a part of His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service. When Malaya achieved independence (and later when Malaysia was established), MCS (now PTD) has stood itself as a part of federal general public service alongside with other services established under the Federal Constitution.
Roles edit
Article 39 of the Federal Constitution has vested the executive authority to the King, but such authority has been exercised by Cabinet through ministries. Other than ministers, ministries comprises civil servants, whose main role is to support ministers in exercising their responsibilities. In particular, constitutional expert Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz outlined three functions of civil service, which are to advise the Government on available options in determining policies, executing decisions related to policies determined by the Government, and performing general functions of government machinery.[6]
Structure edit
The Federal Government comprises the King, the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers. Each minister heads a ministry. In case of a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (PMD), he heads one or more divisions and departments under JPM provided to him by the Prime Minister. As ministries are assisted by civil service, ministers are assisted by civil servants. The Chief Secretary to the Government is Cabinet Secretary, head of Malaysian civil service and secretary-general of PMD.
Appointing authority edit
Each type of public service has an appointing authority, except the Joint Public Service whose members are appointed by the Public Service Commission but belong to either Federal or state government where they are stationed.
| Type of public service | Appointing authority |
|---|---|
| Armed Forces | Armed Forces Council |
| Judicial and legal service | Judicial and Legal Service Commission |
| Federal general public service | Public Service Commission |
| Police force | Police Force Commission |
| Public services in the states of Perlis, Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka | Public Service Commission |
| Public services in other states | State Public Service Commission |
| Education service | Education Service Commission |
| Federal and state statutory boards | The respective statutory body |
| Local governments | The respective local government |
Service scheme edit
As at 2019, Malaysian civil service has 239 service schemes which can be divided into 24 service classifications.
| Letter | Service classification |
|---|---|
| A | Transport
|
| B | Talent and art |
| C | Science |
| D | Education
|
| E | Economics |
| F | Information system (and includes FA and FT) |
| G | Agriculture
|
| H, R | Skills
|
| J | Engineering (and includes JA) |
| K | Civil security and defence
|
| L | Law and justice
|
| M | Administration and diplomacy |
| N | Administration and support
|
| P | Anti-corruption |
| Q | Research and development |
| S | Social |
| T, X | Maritime enforcement
|
| U | Medicine and health
|
| V | Super Scale
|
| W | Finance
|
| Y | Royal Malaysia Police |
| Z | Malaysian Armed Forces |
Service grade edit
Malaysian civil servants are divided into four groups according to their service grade.
| Grade | Group |
|---|---|
| JUSA/Khas and Turus | Top Management Group |
| 41 to 56 | Administrative and Professional Group |
| 27 to 40 | Executive Group (First Support Group) |
| 1 to 26 | Executive Group (Second Support Group) |
References edit
- ^ a b Federal Constitution (as at 1 November 2010) (PDF). The Commissioner of Law Revision, Malaysia. 2010.
- ^ "Bilangan penjawat awam kekal meskipun e-kerajaan dilaksanakan – PM Muhyiddin". BERNAMA (in Malay). Prime Minister's Office, Malaysia. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Sejarah perkhidmatan awam". Think Tank Bawah Tanah (in Malay). 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Wong, Ayman Rashdan (2017-08-30). "Cabaran Dan Pengorbanan Kerjaya PTD, Ramai Tidak Tahu Apa Yang Kami Lalui". The Vocket (in Malay). Retrieved 2020-11-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Sejarah Perkhidmatan Tadbir dan Diplomatik Malaysia". Portal PTD (in Malay). Retrieved 2020-11-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ A Aziz, Shamrahayu (2015-07-22). "Memahami amanah digalas penjawat awam". Berita Harian (in Malay). Retrieved 2020-04-11.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)