Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary to the Government (Malay: Ketua Setiausaha Negara) is the most senior officer in the Malaysian Civil Service, secretary to the Cabinet of Malaysia and secretary-general of the Prime Minister's Department.
History
The title of "Chief Secretary to the Government" in Malaysia dates back to the Federated Malay States. In 1911, it replaced the office of Resident-General as head of the British colonial administration. The inaugural Chief Secretary was Edward Lewis Brockman. After 1936, the administrative powers of Chief Secretary was transferred to the British High Commissioner.
Role
The Chief Secretary to the Government is the head of the Civil Service of Malaysia and the highest-ranking civil servant in the Federal Government of Malaysia. He attends Cabinet meetings as its secretary and monitors the implementation of its policies.[2] He also heads the large Prime Minister's Department, which is in charge of, among others, supporting the Prime Minister, administration of the civil service, state protocol and Islamic affairs.[2]
In addition, the Chief Secretary chairs the meetings of Ministry secretaries-general and meetings of Department directors-general.[3]
List of Chief Secretary to the Government
The following is the list of Chief Secretaries to the Government:[4]
| #
|
Image
|
Chief Secretary to the Government
|
Term of office
|
Prime Minister
|
| Took office
|
Left office
|
Time in office
|
| 1
|
|
Tun
Abdul Aziz Majid
(1908–1975)
|
1 August 1957
|
31 August 1964
|
7 years, 31 days
|
Tunku Abdul Rahman
(31 August 1957 – 22 September 1970)
Abdul Razak Hussein
(22 September 1970 – 14 January 1976)
Hussein Onn
(15 January 1976 – 16 July 1981)
|
| 2
|
|
Tan Sri Dato' Seri
Abdul Jamil Abdul Rais
(1912–1994)
|
1 September 1964
|
6 November 1967
|
3 years, 67 days
|
| 3
|
|
Tan Sri Dato' Seri
Tunku Mohamad Tunku Besar Burhanuddin
(1912–1994)
|
7 November 1967
|
31 December 1969
|
2 years, 55 days
|
| 4
|
|
Tan Sri
Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin
(1920–1978)
|
1 January 1970
|
30 September 1976
|
6 years, 274 days
|
| 5
|
|
Tun
Abdullah Mohd Salleh
(1926–2006)
|
1 October 1976
|
31 December 1978
|
2 years, 92 days
|
Hussein Onn
(15 January 1976 – 16 July 1981)
Mahathir Mohamad
(16 July 1981 – 30 October 2003)
|
| 6
|
|
Tun
Abdullah Ayub
(1926–2018)
|
1 January 1979
|
30 November 1982
|
3 years, 334 days
|
| 7
|
|
Tan Sri Dato'
Hashim Aman
(1929–2018)
|
1 December 1982
|
14 June 1984
|
1 year, 197 days
|
| 8
|
|
Tan Sri Dato' Paduka
Sallehuddin Mohamed
(b.1932)
|
15 June 1984
|
31 January 1990
|
5 years, 231 days
|
Mahathir Mohamad
(16 July 1981 – 30 October 2003)
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
(31 October 2003 – 3 April 2009)
|
| 9
|
|
Tun
Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid
(1938–2021)
|
1 February 1990
|
16 September 1996
|
6 years, 229 days
|
| 10
|
|
Tan Sri
Abdul Halim Ali
(b.1943)
|
17 September 1996
|
31 January 2001
|
4 years, 137 days
|
| 11
|
|
Tan Sri
Samsudin Osman
(b.1946)
|
1 February 2001
|
2 September 2006
|
5 years, 214 days
|
| 12
|
|
Tan Sri
Mohd Sidek Hassan
(b.1952)
|
3 September 2006
|
23 June 2012
|
5 years, 295 days
|
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
(31 October 2003 – 3 April 2009)
Najib Razak
(3 April 2009 – 9 May 2018)
|
| 13
|
|
Tan Sri
Ali Hamsa
(1955–2022)
|
24 June 2012
|
29 August 2018
|
6 years, 67 days
|
Najib Razak
(3 April 2009 – 9 May 2018)
Mahathir Mohamad
(10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020)
|
| 14
|
|
Tan Sri
Ismail Bakar
(b.1960)
|
29 August 2018
|
1 January 2020
|
1 year, 126 days
|
Mahathir Mohamad
(10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020)
|
| 15
|
|
Tan Sri Dato' Seri
Mohd Zuki Ali
(b.1962)
|
1 January 2020
|
Incumbent
|
4 years, 99 days
|
Mahathir Mohamad
(10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020)
Muhyiddin Yassin
(1 March 2020 – 16 August 2021)
Ismail Sabri Yaakob
(21 August 2021 – 23 November 2022)
Anwar Ibrahim
(since 24 November 2022)
|
Living former Chief Secretaries
