Harjeet Singh makes history as second Sikh KSU for Malaysia

By Asia Samachar | Malaysia

Photography enthusiast Harjeet Singh Hardev Singh has been appointed as the secretary general of the Ministry of Health, making him the top civil servant at the Malaysian ministry.

The promotion, from deputy secretary general (administration) in the same ministry, is effective today (April 11).

“He has wide experience in planning, human resources management and policy,” the government chief secretary Mohd Zuki Ali said in a statement today.

Harjeet, 59, makes history for the Sikh community as the second Sikh to be made a secretary general, or ketua setiausaha (KSU) in Malay.

The first was Himmat Singh who was appointed as the secretary general of the Ministry of Works in October 2011 and later took on the same position at Ministry of Plantation and Industries and Commodities before retiring in December 2015.

Harjeet has been serving in the civil service for 33 years since joining as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer (PTD) on 1 Aug 1989, beginning as an assistant secretary of the Selangor state economic planning unit.

In March 2016, he was made the director general of Public Complaints Bureau in the Prime Minister’s Department.

He previously served as deputy sec-gen at two ministries between August 2001 and June 2016. They were the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water and Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD).

Harjeet was born in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. His father Hardev Singh retired as a police sargeant while his mother Shavinder Kaur was a housewife.

Harjeet, who has a bachelor of science degree from Universiti Ohio in Columbus, United States, is married to Amreeta Kaur. They have two girls and one boy.

Harjeet’s elevation to the top civil service post at the health ministry is also significant symbolically as Sikhs have always had a strong tradition in serving at the ministry.

Among them included Jagjit Singh Nashatar Singh who was undersecretary of finance at the ministry, Dr Sukdershan Singh who retired in 2016 as deputy director of the telehealth division and Dr. Harbhajan Singh who retired as the deputy director of Health Services.

The announcement is an early Vaisakhi present for Harjeet and the Sikh community in Malaysia. Sikhs worldwide will be celebrating Vaisakhi – commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa which also coincides with the actual birthday of Guru Nanak – this week.



RELATED STORY:

Harjeet Singh moves to Malaysia’s health ministry (Asia Samachar, 13 Dec 2020)

Himmat, highest ranking Sikh civil servant in Malaysia, retires (Asia Samachar, 10 Dec 2015)



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