The issue of political appointees for ministers and deputy ministers who have not received their salaries is because the process of appointing them has not been completed, said the Public Service Department (PSD).

In a statement issued today on the issue of payment of salaries, PSD clarified it was caused by incomplete documentation and failure to meet the conditions for appointment in the service.

At the same time, there were also cases where the officers did not accept the offer of appointment which had been approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC) because it was different from the grade of the position which was applied.

“So far, the requests for contract appointments received by the PSD from various ministries have been taken to the PSC for consideration,” the PSD statement said.

It also clarified that the appointments for civil servants were made either through special placements or secondments while for non-civil servants it was by contract.

It also said the power to appoint officers on secondment or contract was with the PSC which was an independent body with the authority to appoint as stated in Article 132(2) of the Federal Constitution while the power for special placements was with the PSD.

For contract appointments, candidates must fulfil the required conditions which include a credit in Bahasa Melayu at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level. Candidates must not be older than 60 years, possess a health report certifying their fitness for service and must not have been not declared bankrupt, the statement said.

In its circular dated July 23, 2018, the PSD said the process of appointment of officers in administrative offices must abide by the procedures.

“If the all the documents are complete and the conditions met, the process of appointment can be completed at the latest by two weeks from the date it was received from the PSD,” it said.

For applications received up until Aug 3, 2018 (today), if the complete documentation has been received, the appointments can be made at the latest by Aug 15 (2018), it said.

The PSD said the process of appointment for positions filled by special placements involving 27 individuals had been done while the appointment of six officers through secondment were in the process.

On claims that the services of some officials were terminated after two weeks of service, the PSD said upon checking, it was found that their services were not continued by the ministry concerned which had exceeded the approved number of appointments and could not appoint more.

A tabloid had reported that there were political appointees who had not received their salaries two months after beginning their jobs.

-Bernama