Its president, Adnan Mat, described the claims as offensive and denied assertions that some civil servants had become convinced that national interests and Umno’s interests are one and the same.

During a webinar yesterday, Thomas said Umno’s long-time dominance had been so “overpowering” that it had convinced thousands of public servants that “Umno is synonymous with Malaysia”.

In a statement, Adnan said such remarks should not have come from someone who had himself held a civil service job at one time.

“There was no need for him to link civil servants with any political parties or ideology,” Adnan said.

“Civil servants will always support the government of the day — regardless of the political background of the leadership.

“Being part of the government machinery, the focus of civil servants is to ensure their service is always at the best, in the interests of the people and in line with the policies of the government of the day,” he said.

Further, Adnan said as civil servants are barred from expressing political views, he hoped the leaders would respect this by not entangling them in any political disputes.

“Civil servants, like the Malaysian public, have their political inclinations but they remain professional and neutral in their duties to the people and country,” he said.