PETALING JAYA: It seems that Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsawill remain in his position until 2020 as his contract had allegedly been extended by the previous administration in March.Dr Ali, who turns 63 on Aug 29, is unlikely to be stepping down by this month, as claimed by some recent news reports.Malaysiakini reported that Ali had had his contract extended by two years, and is only expected to retire in August 2020. "It is a normal practice in the government that contract officers will have their contracts reviewed within six months before the service term ends. "The Prime Minister can decide to extend or shorten it. However, so far, we have not heard any word from Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) about this," said the officer.Dr Ali was made Chief Secretary in June 2012. He reached the retirement age of 60 in 2015, when the federal government first extended his term in office for another three years.Dr Ali was widely considered to be on the chopping block.

Source: thestar August 18, 2018 14:03 UTC