He said that transfers to other departments or organisations were needed to minimise the risk of misconduct, adding that the requirement was outlined in a JPA circular.

“Public servants assigned to sensitive departments, especially in procurement, finance, and development, are not permitted to stay in the same place for more than three years,” he was quoted by Berita Harian as saying.

“Public servants in lower-risk positions may remain in a department for no more than five years,” he told reporters in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, during a visit with federal public officials.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan said that transferring public servants would also help them advance their careers as it was easier to consider such officers for promotion if they had taken on different responsibilities.

He also denied allegations of a shortage of public service positions, noting that the selection for top roles such as director or deputy director takes considerable time to ensure that the most suitable candidates are appointed.

In September, JPA said that heads of government departments and agencies had been warned that action would be taken against them if they failed to rotate their staff from October.

JPA said the rotation of personnel was part of an initiative to reform the civil service as it would prevent leakages, abuse of power and corruption.

“Failure to do so would be considered dereliction of duty and being irresponsible,” it said in a statement.

In 2016, then chief secretary to the government, Ali Hamsa, said public officers holding sensitive positions should be transferred once in every three to five years.