KUALA LUMPUR: The government has issued warnings to civil servants through various agencies, advising them against engaging in extramarital relationships.
The integrity units of various government departments, including the Customs Department, Agriculture Department, and Federal Territories Islamic Department, have publicly posted these notices on social media over the past week.
The notices categorised extramarital affairs, especially those disrupting marriages, as a disciplinary offence reflecting poorly on the civil service's reputation.
For Muslim civil servants, the notices emphasised that such affairs were also deemed as syariah offences.
The Agriculture Department, in its notice highlighted that enticing a married woman is a criminal offence under Section 498 of the Penal Code.
This particular provision of the law implied that such actions could be punishable, signaling a serious stance against infidelity within the civil service.
The Customs Department's notice stated, "Establishing a difficult relationship between civil servants to the extent that it affects the relationship between husband and wife can be interpreted as behavior that tarnishes the name of the public service."
The notices further warned that civil servants found guilty of extramarital affairs could face legal consequences under Section 38 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Federal Territories) 1997.