KUALA LUMPUR: The Customs Department (JKDM) has responded to a recent claim of forced transfers of its officers, saying the relocations were intended to provide them with diverse experiences and exposures.
Its Director-General Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin said the transfers were in line with the department's policies for officers who have served between three to five years to be relocated.
She added that the transfer order is in accordance with Permanent Staffing Order No. 78, JKDM Officer Placement and Exchange Policy, dated Aug 10, 2023 and the method of appointing officers in the public service and other appointment-related matters in accordance with Section UP.2.2.1 (Guide to the Exchange of Officers) issued by the Public Service Department (JPA) with effect from Jan 1, 2022.
"It is also subject to the National Anti-Corruption Plan 2019 - 2023 (Mid-Term Review) under Strategic Objective 2.1: Engineering the Public Service towards good governance involving initiatives to strengthen mechanisms for enforcing mandatory work rotation for civil servants who hold a sensitive position," she said in a statement on the department's Facebook page.
Anis Rizana highlighted that this transfer aimed to enhance the productivity of officers, and consequently, the organisation they served.
"It also allows officers to view the organisation they are placed in from a different perspective, and thus, they are expected to try new approaches to increase organisational efficiency in the new postings," she said, adding that it also has the capability to prevent any potential occurrences of misconduct, abuse of power and corruption.
She said the department also follows the implementation of government officer policy placement and transfers when making such decisions.
"It involves the transfer of officers who have served for at least three years but not more than five years in a post classified as sensitive.
"Transfer officers who have served for at least three years but not more than eight years in a post are classified as non-sensitive.
"An officer can also be transferred either on the order of the Customs DG or upon the officer's own request, approved by the DG based on service interests, without being bound by the service period specified in the first two paragraphs.
"All exchanges involve officers who have served for more than seven years in the same locality," she said.
The department also allows for the postponement of temporary placement changes according to the application and until now some changes have been postponed due to family, health and the education of children.
"JKDM always emphasises the well-being of departmental members, in line with the desire to create an efficient organisation under the elements of efficiency, agility, and integrity to contribute to the economic development of the country through efficient government revenue collection, trade facilitation, and close collaboration with all stakeholders," she added.
Earlier, the it was reported that hundreds of low-ranking officers from the Customs Department claimed to be victims of the department's top management after being forcibly transferred.
The transfer orders, affecting a substantial number of Customs officers, were claimed to have been executed without considering the well-being of the officers.
Malaysia Customs Officer Association (KPKSM) president Abdul Malik Mohamed Zin said the issued transfer orders are definitive, with no room for appeals, as outlined in the corresponding transfer directive.
He said the new Customs director-general, was also seen to have a negative perception of the KPKSM leaders.