The appointment of Mohd Khusrin Munawi as the new Selangor state secretary should not be dipsuted by the state government because all civil servants are always required to have high level of integrity and professionalism in discharging their duties, said a political analyst.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) political science lecturer Ahmad Nizamuddin said the Selangor government's allegation that the appointment of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Jais) director to the post was made based on BN political

interest was just a baseless interpretation.

"The allegation lacks basis because Mohd Khusrin has yet to start his new duties and the appointment will only take effect on Jan 1. So, such assumptions cannot be accepted," he told Bernama .

Therefore, he said, the PKR-led government's dissatisfaction over the matter was indeed baseless.

In fact, he said, the PKR government in Selangor felt challenged as the appointment was made without their knowledge.

NONE The state government led by Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (middle in photo) recently announced that the appointment of Mohd Khusrin, which received the consent of the Sultan of Selangor, had yet to be finalised because the state government was not informed.

Ahmad Nizamuddin said Abdul Khalid should realise that such a situation usually happened when the state government was controlled by a party which could not see eye-to-eye with the federal government.

A civil servant with integrity

He said the appointment would not cause any problem as the federal government must have mulled over the consequences of the action.

He also believed that as a civil servant with integrity, Mohd Khusrin would give priority to the principles of professional practice in discharging his duties.

"If we stick to the elements of professionalism, independence and separation of powers, the appointment will not cause any problem," he said.

khoo kay kim anti auku gma 141006 showing teeth Section 52(1) of the Selangor constitution 1959 clearly states that there shall be constituted the offices of state secretary, state legal adviser and state financial officer, and the appointments thereto shall be made by the appropriate Service Commission from amongst members of any of the relevant public services.

Meanwhile, prominent historian Khoo Kay Kim (left) said the appointment could not be stopped by the state government as it was

allowed by the federal constitution.

He said if the Selangor government was dissatisfied with the federal government's appointed candidate, they should realise that the matter could only be solved in court.

This is because the federal constitution is the highest law of the land and that other laws found to be in conflict with the constitution are null and void, he said.

Political crisis in Perak

Malaysian Government Pensioners' Association president Raja Wan Mahmood Pawan Teh said after 53 years of Independence, civil servants had made much progress in their ability to administer and that the country's civil service had become an exemplary model to many other developing countries.

He said despite the outcome of the March 8, 2008 general election, civil servants had kept the government machinery running smoothly even while most politicians were anxious of what lay ahead when the administration of four of the 13 states were taken over by the opposition.

"During the trials and turbulence of the struggle for political power in Perak, the civil service remained unperturbed, carrying on their duties as usual.

"One cannot imagine what the situation could have been if the civil servants had taken sides in party politicking and joining in the scramble for power," he said.

He said politicians "come and go" but civil servants remained steadfast in their loyalty to the king and country.

Wan Mahmood also hoped that civil servants would not be swayed by any political carrots and that it was equally important for politicians to realise that it was for the good that the existing civil service culture be kept sacrosanct.

- Bernama