KUALA LUMPUR (March 27): Minister in the Prime Minister Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said today that it is not true the Malaysian civil service is the highest in the world.

The size of the civil service is dependent on the government’s role and the kind of service it wants to deliver to the people, the de facto law minister added in her written reply dated March 20 to a parliamentary question by Mersing Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad.

Without providing any number, Azalina pledged the government will continue its effort in optimising human resources in the public service sector, to increase efficiency.

On Jan 30, Second Finance Minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was reported as saying the Malaysian civil service is large, relative to the country’s population — making it the highest in the world with one civil servant in every 19.37 people.