Social reform group Aliran has called on the government not to politicise or abuse the civil service as it does not belong to the government of the day.

When the neutrality of the civil service is not respected or safeguarded, the country should be prepared to descend into chaos and turmoil, Aliran president P. Ramakrishnan told malaysiakini today.

Ramakrishnan was commenting on Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's support of Malacca state government's directive to all its departments and agencies to terminate the contracts of their panel doctors and other professionals who are aligned with the opposition.

The Star reported today that Mahathir said it was the government's right to appoint or terminate whoever it wanted, expressly supporting Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam's action disclosed over the weekend.

Rustam also said that government servants found to be opposition party members would be transferred out of the state and he also urged federal agencies in the state to take similar action

"Such a stand and action by Rustam is atrocious," Ramakrishnan said.

Such punitive actions meant that civil servants must be cronies or loyalists of the leaders in government to feel "safe" in government service and that only such cronies and loyalists would be rewarded or promoted, he added.

"While the civil service should be neutral, the government employees themselves are human and have feelings too, and they have a right to their own political views which must be respected. They must not be punished for holding these views," he stressed.

On Mahathir's observation that when PAS took over the state government in Terengganu, it also sacked penghulus (village chiefs) and nobody said anything, Ramakrishnan said as far as Aliran was concerned, "it does not matter whether it is Barisan Nasional or PAS, but what is being proposed or implemented (sacking or transferring out civil servants for their political affiliations) must be condemned without reservation."

Meanwhile, DAP secretary general Kerk Kim Hock said the action taken by the Malacca chief minister was a clear violation of the meaning, principle and spirit of democracy,

He said although Umno suffered an unprecedented electoral setback in the last Nov 29 general elections, there was no reason for Umno to carry out acts of political vendetta against anybody, like what Rustam was doing to the government servants, panel doctors or lawyers aligned with the opposition.

"What Umno should do is to respond positively to the people's call for change which was clearly and loudly expressed in the last general elections," Kerk said.

"Freedom of association and freedom to support political party of one's choice are two basic freedoms which must prevail in a true, meaningful and vibrant democracy," Kerk, who is also MP for Kota Melaka, said in a statement to malaysiakini .

Kerk said Rustam's directive was an abuse of the people's mandate and must be rescinded immediately..