Madani gov't trolled for using KSN to ban civil servants from joining 'Turun Anwar' rally
This is because civil servants must adhere to the pledge enshrined in the Rukun Negara, particularly by upholding the principle of loyalty to king and country, according to Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
'They cannot attend. Civil servants recite the pledge every day, every week,' justified Shamsul who succeeded Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali on Aug 10 last year.
'Have they forgotten? Be loyal to the king and country,' he said after launching the Association of Former Students of Mara Junior Science Colleges (ANSARA) Sports Carnival 2025 in Putrajaya yesterday (July 20).
While Shamsul did not specify if the nature of disciplinary action to be taken on errant civil servants, a majority of commenters to the NST Online Facebook post of Shamsul's message felt that it is unbecoming of the Madani government to even use the KSN as its protective shield.
After all, they recounted that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had in fact instigated civil servants to take to the streets to protest against injustice inflicted on him, notably his sacking as deputy PM following which the Reformasi movement was born.
After all. Saturday is an off day to most civil servants, henceforth it is their right to decide what they wish to do during their spare time so long as their action does not disrupt their workflow.
Therefore, Shamsul's directive is deemed as both 'army twisting method and double standard'. As a learned commenter put it, the KSU cannot deny the basic rights and freedom of all citizens as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, namely the right to free speech and the right to assemble and association.
'(The) KSU is clearly fear mongering and threatening civil servants,' he attested.
As a commenter aptly pointed out, the Madani government has nothing to fear if it is doing a good job 'unless this Madani (government) is so unstable that it feared that the opposition might influence their (civil servants) support towards this government'.
Another contended that 'a democracy would not order such a thing but civil servants can be reminded that action can be taken against them if their behaviour during such a rally led to arrest and/or detention'.
In fact, a commenter opined that civil servants are duty-bound 'to speak out if the government is harming the country'.
The bottom-line as one commenter noted, 'public sector workers will STILL go to work tomorrow if the government falls or a new government comes in'.
As 'they work for the country, the King and not a POLITICAL PARTY', he urged PMX 'not to be arrogant but to understand hardship of sorts the rakyst are experiencing from Perlis to Sabah'. – July 21, 2025
Editor's Note: A recent Utusan Malaysia report citing Perikatan Nasional (PN) Youth Chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden has estimated a turnout of 300,000 (up from 50,000) at the 'Turun Anwar' rally slated to be held at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur this Saturday (July 26).
This is in stark contrast to Kuala Lumpur Acting Police Chief Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad who previously expected 10,000 to 15,000 people to attend.
He nevertheless confirmed that the organisers have informed the Dang Wangi district police headquarters about the rally following which some 2,000 officers and personnel will be deployed to ensure the rally runs smoothly and to safeguard the participants and the public.
Main image credit: Utusan Malaysia
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YOURSAY | 'Malaysians have the right to attend the function or stay away.' Stay away from 'Turun Anwar' rally, chief secretary tells civil servants Vijay47: Chief Secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, the 'Turun Anwar' (Down with Anwar) gathering is a properly constituted event even if not everyone shares its intention. A permit has been applied for and, in a surprising turn of reality, granted by the police. So, how does attending it break any law? How is a legal activity against the king and country? All Malaysians, including civil servants, have the right to attend the function or stay away. Nobody needs your permission, thank you very much. I would suggest that instead of earning more ridicule and contempt, you stick closely to what you were appointed for - the proper management of the civil service. My small relief is that you, like many others of similar intelligence, did not claim that attendance at the rally would be against the Constitution. V S: Civil servants should not think for themselves, as the Madani government thinks for them, says the chief secretary. It is the right of every Malaysian civil servant or otherwise to freedom of expression. You have no right to make such threats just because they are civil servants. They have a mind of their own. Try saying that to the civil servants in Kelantan and Terengganu. They know who to choose. Zaheed: Instead of making the civil service more efficient, the chief secretary to the government is more concerned about civil servants attending the protest. Learn to be efficient like the private sector. What is happening? Are the departments sleeping, or have they failed to keep up with the times and age? T Mataz: The chief secretary must put out a public notice, that any federal government employees found to have participated in the 'Turun Anwar' rally on July 26, will automatically be dismissed from service and their pension benefits will be forfeited. This action is permissible, as all federal government employees have pledged their support for the elected and royally appointed federal government. This is the fact, and there shouldn't be any ambiguity from the chief secretary's office. If that's considered too harsh, then red flag the most troublemakers among them, ensuring they are never promoted to higher office for their disrespect to the king and country. Darmakochi: Participating in a rally scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 26 does not mean you are not loyal to the king and the country. Expressing displeasure toward someone whose performance is below the expectations of most of the citizens who had voted him for that position has nothing to do with 'loyalty to king and country', This rally is to highlight the problems caused by this Madani government. OceanMasterII: Indeed. What they say may not be right, but under the Constitution, they have the freedom of speech and expression, including gathering in public space to express their dissatisfaction orderly over the government of the day. That includes expressing dissatisfaction over the prime minister, who is an elected representative of the people. Which part of the law are they breaching, and where does the loyalty to the king and country come into question? If the civil servants have the right to vote in electing their representative, they must have the right to express their dissatisfaction if their elected representative is not performing. Fyddeep: All this 'Turun' nonsense. Why no 'Turun Umno' (Down with Umno) for supporting a convict? Why no protest against (former prime minister) Najib (Abdul Razak) for not paying his fine, among other things? All these are empty vessels making unwanted noises. For our country to progress, we must stop all this nonsense. Go and do your work instead of making noise every day. The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now. These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
