Veteran newsman A Kadir Jasin proposed that Pakatan Harapan makes a ruling on its elected representatives accepting datukship awards.

The DAP had reiterated its policy that the award should only be accepted upon retirement but other Harapan component parties do not have any such rules.

"I have touched on the five 'green' ministers accepting title awards from Malacca. It signified their amateurish thinking.

"To avoid this from happening again, Harapan can impose rules on ministers and excos from receiving tites while still in service.

"Better still if the rules are also imposed on MPs and assemblypersons," he said in a blog posting.

Kadir is a Bersatu supreme council member and also special adviser on media affairs to the prime minister but made the comment in his personal capacity.

He was lamenting that the government was not only being sabotaged by certain civil servants who were still entrenched in the BN culture but by Harapan's own ministers due to their "ignorance, greed for power and lack of focus".

On the civil service and government-linked companies (GLC) front, he said many were plagued by incompetency, corruption and ideology.

"While I do not deny there are many excellent and world-class civil servants and GLC/government-linked investment company (GLIC) executives, there are also many more who are not.

"Due to being under the same government for 60 years, their mentality is influenced by the previous ruling party which was feudalistic and corrupt in recent decades," he said.

Kadir said they must be "schooled" to be professional, independent and free from corruption.

'Hiding fat salaries'

He also warned ministers not to be influenced by chief secretaries who are the remnants of the previous BN system whom he claimed was out to sabotage the new government.

"There is still widespread tendency (among certain civil servants and GLC executives) to hide information and display of arrogance based on the belief that the new government does not know anything or have the expertise to replace them.

"A classic story I heard was how a GLC executive, when asked how much was his salary, said he couldn't remember.

"After checking, it was found that his salary was RM7 million per annum even though the GLC was considered a monopoly," he said.

Kaidr urged the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) to expedite efforts in cleaning out such elements.