Malaysian minister says disciplinary actions can be taken against unvaccinated civil servants

KUALA LUMPUR: Actions can be taken against the almost 29,000 Malaysian civil servants who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, said the minister in the prime minister’s department in charge of special functions. 

Replying to a question in parliament on Wednesday (Nov 10), Mr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said that based on data from the Communicable Diseases Centre under the Public Service Department (PSD), about 1.8 per cent, or 28,800 out of the estimated 1.6 million civil servants nationwide, have refused or are yet to receive their vaccinations.

According to a report by the Star, the minister said the potential disciplinary actions to be taken against this group could include issuance of warnings, promotion freezes and docking of salaries.

“There are procedures that need to be followed before disciplinary action can be taken. This includes the issuance of show-cause letters by the department heads to the errant civil servants, whereby they will be given 21 days to reply,” he said. 

If the reason given for not wanting to get vaccinated is unsatisfactory, he said the civil servant concerned would be referred to the department’s disciplinary committee for a domestic inquiry before taking further action, according to the Star report.

The Star report also wrote that civil servants who cannot be vaccinated due to health complications must submit their medical statements from a government medical officer to their department heads.

Last month, Bernama reported that civil servants in federal government departments could face disciplinary action or termination of service if they fail to complete the COVID-19 vaccination under a new immunisation policy which takes effect on Nov 1.

The PSD had earlier issued a statement on Sep 30 announcing that all federal civil servants were required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before Nov 1. 

The PSD said on Monday that staff members from the Education Ministry are believed to constitute the biggest group of civil servants who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Bernama reported. 

While he did not provide details, PSD director-general Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said the department was updating the data of unvaccinated civil servants, and the process would be completed in two weeks’ time.  

On Wednesday, Malay Mail quoted Mr Abdul Latiff, the minister, as saying that no disciplinary actions have been taken 10 days after the mandate came into effect. 

Meanwhile, Negeri Sembilan’s Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun was quoted as saying by the Star that 36 state government employees who refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will be given counselling for now.

He said that sacking would only be considered after all other options had been exhausted. This is because he did not want the families of these employees to be left in the lurch.

“We have asked them to consult a doctor to see if they can be vaccinated.

“If they are healthy and can be vaccinated, we will again advise them to do so and shall refrain from taking any disciplinary action for now although they have been given ample time to comply,” he said, according to the Star.