PM must reveal list of senior govt officials in the 'pool', says Radzi

KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is urged to reveal the number of senior government officials placed in the 'pool' or 'freezer' after the unity government took over the country's administration in Nov.

Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (Perikatan Nasional (PN)-Putrajaya) said the number of officials involved in the 'pool' placement must follow the grade and list of Senior Jusa B officials and above.

"The PH-BN government has taken actions to place several public service officials in the ‘pool’ or ‘freezer’ since the formation of the unity government. This is an inappropriate action.

"There are also senior chief secretaries who have proven to carry out their duties with excellence but were also placed in much smaller ministries with lower positions.

"I am very sympathise them. What did they do wrong? If no offence was proven, why was the punishment handed out?" he asked in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

Radzi said this is clearly a loss for the country because their service and expertise are not optimally utilised.

He said the decision made was unfair because it portrayed a negative image as if they had committed a major offence or their service performance was very poor.

"The public service officers were trained to carry out trusted duties according to the current government’s plans, regardless of which party is currently administering or who is the prime minister.

"The government leadership’s trust in the public service officers is important in ensuring the best service is delivered to the people," he said.