JOHOR BAHRU: The Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has proposed to the state government to revive the Johor Volunteer Forces (JVF) which was established by the late Sultan Ibrahim in 1905.

The ruler said for a start, all Johor state administrative officers should be absorbed under JVF and undergo basic military training with the Johor State Royal Military Force (JMF) to increase the fitness and strengthen the discipline of these government officials.

"In this regard, the officer can wear a JVF uniform while on duty or attending functions. This will indirectly enhance the image and appearance of the officer," he said in a posting on the Royal Press Office official Facebook here yesterday.

The Johor Sultan said this at the launch of the Johor Civil Servants Academy (JCS) and the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding and cooperation agreement held at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre here, in conjunction with the ruler's official birthday celebration.

Also present was the Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

On the JCS Academy, Sultan Ibrahim said, the setting up of the academy was a strategic measure to increase the competency of the state's officials and civil servants.

He said besides imparting new knowledge, the academy should also provide exposure on court cases that had caused the state government to incur losses due to wrong actions and decisions, including biased agreements, for them to learn from.

"The setting up of the JCS Academy is timely. It should serve as a body to disseminate knowledge to produce competent government officials who are skilled in management and policy-making," he said adding that he hoped the academy would serve as a centre for knowledge and improvement of the quality of public services in Johor.

The ruler said he hoped the cooperation the academy forged with government agencies, public and private institutions of higher learning as well as professional bodies would add value to its efforts to provide knowledge and experience in various fields to the state civil servants.

-- BERNAMA