Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low wants serving the country to take precedence over political ideology.

He said this in response to whether it was right for there to be political interference in the public administration.

The minister in charge of governance and integrity also believes that civil servants should be professional even though they may have their own political inclinations.

“They may have their own political preference, but when you come to do your job, you do it for the sake of the country," he told reporters at the sidelines of the National Integrity Convention in Kuala Lumpur today.

He stressed that it was important for civil servants to separate political opinion from work.

“(We must also) do our work fairly, objectively and what is to the interest of the rakyat and to the government. That is the guiding line,” he said.

Earlier at the convention, Umno parliamentarian Irmohizam Ibrahim said there was no political interference in the nation’s public administration.

The Kuala Selangor MP also said the appointment or sacking of civil servants should not be deemed as political interference.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Sivamurugan Pandian, however, pointed out in his speech that, like it or not, there indeed was political interference particularly in the lower levels of public administration.