The Chief Secretary to the Government is the most senior officer in the Malaysian Civil Service

Civil Service in Malaysia

The civil service in Malaysia is pivotal around Article 132 of the Constitution of Malaysia which stipulates that the public service shall consists of:* the General Public Service of the Federation* the State Public Services* the Joint Public Services...

. He is secretary to the Cabinet of Malaysia

Cabinet of Malaysia

The Cabinet of Malaysia is the executive branch of Malaysia's government. Led by the Prime Minister, the cabinet is a council of ministers who are accountable collectively to the Parliament. According to the Article 43 of the Constitution, members of the Cabinet can only be selected from members...

 and is the secretary-general of the Prime Minister's Department.

History

The title of "Chief Secretary to the Government" in Malaysia dates back to the Federated Malay States

Federated Malay States

The Federated Malay States was a federation of four protected states in the Malay Peninsula—Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang—established by the British government in 1895, which lasted until 1946, when they, together with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay...

. In 1911, it replaced the office of Resident-General as head of the British colonial administration

British Malaya

British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...

. The inaugural Chief Secretary was Edward Lewis Brockman. After 1936, the administrative powers of Chief Secretary was transferred to the British High Commissioner.

Role

The Chief Secretary to the Government is the head of the Civil Service of Malaysia and the highest-ranking civil servant in the Federal Government of Malaysia. He attends Cabinet meetings as its secretary and monitors the implementation of its policies. He also heads the large Prime Minister's Department, which is in charge of, among others, supporting the Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...

, administration of the civil service, state protocol and Islamic affairs.

In addition, the Chief Secretary chairs the meetings of Ministry secretaries-generals and meetings of Department directors-general.

List of Chief Secretaries

The list of Chief Secretaries to the Government from 1957 to present:

1. Abdul Aziz Majid (1957 – 1964)
2. Abdul Jamil Abdul Rais (1964 – 1967)
3. Mohamad Burhanuddin (1967 – 1969)
4. Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin (1970 – 1976)
5. Abdullah Mohd Salleh (1976 – 1978)
6. Abdullah Ayub (1979 – 1980)
7. Hashim Aman (1980 – 1984)
8. Salehuddin Mohamed (1984 – 1990)
9. Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid (1990 – 1996)
10. Abdul Halim Ali (1996 – 2001)
11. Samsudin Osman
    Samsudin Osman
    Tan Sri Samsudin bin Osman is former a Malaysian civil servant, and served the Malaysian Government from 1969 to 2006. His last office in the civil service was Chief Secretary to the Government from February 1, 2001 to September 2, 2006...
    
     (2001 – 2006)
12. Mohd Sidek Hassan
    Mohd Sidek Hassan
    Tan Sri Mohd. Sidek bin Haji Hassan is the 12th Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, appointed by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong for the post effective 3 September 2006.- Life :Tan Sri Mohd Sidek was born in Pekan, Pahang, on 24 June 1951...
    
    (2006 – present)