| Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia | |
|---|---|
| Ketua Setiausaha Negara كتوا ستياءوسها نڬارا | |
 Coat of arms of Malaysia | |
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| Prime Minister's Department | |
| Style | Yang Berbahagia |
| Abbreviation | KSN |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Reports to | Prime Minister |
| Seat | Level 4 East,Perdana Putra,Putrajaya |
| Nominator | Prime Minister |
| Appointer | Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of Prime Minister |
| Inaugural holder | Abdul Aziz Majid |
| Formation | 1 August 1957; 68 years ago (1957-08-01) |
| Salary | MYR 23,577 monthly[1] |
| Website | www |
Thechief secretary to the government (Malay:Ketua Setiausaha Negara;Jawi:كتوا ستياءوسها نڬارا) is the most senior officer in theMalaysian civil service, secretary to theCabinet of Malaysia and secretary-general of thePrime Minister's Department.
The title of "Chief Secretary to the Government" in Malaysia dates back to theFederated Malay States. In 1911, it replaced the office ofresident-general as head of theBritish colonial administration. The inaugural chief secretary wasEdward Lewis Brockman. After 1936, the administrative powers of chief secretary was transferred to theBritish high commissioner.
The appointment of the chief secretary to the government is made under Article 144(3) of theFederal Constitution, where it needs to be approved by His MajestyYang di-Pertuan Agong, on the certificate of thePublic Service Commission with the advice of theprime minister.[2] Most chief secretaries areadministrative and diplomatic officers (PTD) and must obtain postgraduate diplomas in public management (DPA) from theNational Institute of Public Administration (INTAN).[3][4]
The chief secretary to the government is the head of the civil service of Malaysia and the highest-ranking civil servant in theFederal Government of Malaysia. He attends Cabinet meetings as its secretary and monitors the implementation of its policies.[5] He also heads the large Prime Minister's Department, which is in charge of, among others, supporting thePrime Minister, administration of the civil service, state protocol and Islamic affairs.[5]
In addition, the chief secretary chairs the meetings of ministry secretaries-general and meetings of department directors-general.[6]
The following is the list of chief secretaries:[7]
| # | 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 (1957–1970) Abdul Razak Hussein (1970–1976) Hussein Onn (1976–1981) |
| 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 (1976–1981) | |
| 6. | Tun Abdullah Ayub (1926–2018) | 1 January 1979 | 30 November 1982 | 3 years, 334 days | Hussein Onn (1976–1981) Mahathir Mohamad 1st term (1981–2003) | |
| 7. | Tan Sri Dato' Hashim Aman (1929–2018) | 1 December 1982 | 14 June 1984 | 1 year, 197 days | Mahathir Mohamad 1st term (1981–2003) | |
| 8. | Tan Sri Dato' Paduka Sallehuddin Mohamed (b.1932) | 15 June 1984 | 31 January 1990 | 5 years, 231 days | ||
| 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 | Mahathir Mohamad 1st term (1981–2003) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003–2009) | |
| 12. | Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan (b.1952) | 3 September 2006 | 23 June 2012 | 5 years, 295 days | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (2003–2009) Mohd. Najib Abdul Razak (2009–2018) | |
| 13. | Tan Sri Dato' Sri Dr. Ali Hamsa (1955–2022) | 24 June 2012 | 28 August 2018 | 6 years, 66 days | Mohd. Najib Abdul Razak (2009–2018) Mahathir Mohamad 2nd term (2018–2020) | |
| 14. | Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Ismail Bakar (b.1960) | 29 August 2018 | 31 December 2019 | 1 year, 125 days | Mahathir Mohamad 2nd term (2018–2020) | |
| 15. | Tan Sri Dato' Seri Mohd Zuki Ali (b.1962) | 1 January 2020 | 10 August 2024 | 4 years, 223 days | Mahathir Mohamad 2nd term (2018–2020) Muhyiddin Yassin (2020–2021) Ismail Sabri Yaakob (2021–2022) Anwar Ibrahim (since 2022) | |
| 16. | | Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar (b.1969) | 12 August 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 106 days | Anwar Ibrahim (since 2022) |
| Name | Term of office | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| Sallehuddin Mohamed | 1984–1990 | 9 September 1932 (age93) |
| Abdul Halim Ali | 1996–2001 | 1 July 1943 (age82) |
| Samsudin Osman | 2001–2006 | 3 March 1946 (age79) |
| Mohd Sidek Hassan | 2006–2012 | 24 June 1952 (age73) |
| Ismail Bakar | 2018–2020 | 19 January 1960 (age65) |
| Mohd Zuki Ali | 2020–2024 | 11 August 1962 (age63) |