Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia told FMT that political parties should continue to consider retired civil servants as future candidates.

They have valuable institutional knowledge and administrative expertise and a wealth of experience to bring to the table, he said, especially when dealing with the day-to-day issues faced by regular people.

Perikatan Nasional has recently fielded former government surgeon Dr Mazri Yahya in the Simpang Jeram by-election in Johor, just weeks after two other former civil servants stood for election.

Jamil Salleh, the former secretary-general of the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry, and Haim Hilman Abdullah, former vice-chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia, were PN candidates for the Dengkil (Selangor) and Jitra (Kedah) seats in the state assembly elections in August.

Azmil said retired high-ranking civil servants tend to be very active in their local communities, enjoying widespread recognition and influence, which can be a significant asset for the party.

Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, an analyst with the Bower Group Asia consultancy, said parties that field ex-civil servants in rural constituencies could garner additional support as government careers are highly respected in these communities, unlike in urban areas.

“For many in the villages, success means having a high-ranking government position,” he said.

Nandakumaran Kathirvaloo, who went into politics after 36 years as a school principal, said he did so because he wanted to contribute further to the nation building process.

He joined PKR after he retired and was the vice-president of the party’s Pahang branch until 2021.

“It is within our right to go into politics after serving the country as a civil servant,” he said. “Our wealth of experience and maturity in handling the government’s business can be of use to the nation.”