PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will hold his first mass meeting with civil servants on Monday (May 21) following his return as the country's premier after 15 years.

Tun Mahathir is to meet staff of the Prime Minister's Department, or JPM, at an open square in the complex that houses the department in the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

Tun Mahathir is scheduled to arrive at the square, Dataran Perdana, at 8.30am and deliver a mandate to the department staff for the regular monthly meeting, New Straits Times (NST) reported on Sunday (May 20).

Addresses to JPM staff at the open square were regularly conducted by previous Malaysian prime ministers, with their message often aimed at the larger civil service.

Dr Mahathir was sworn in as the seventh Malaysian prime minister on May 11 after his coalition won the May 9 general election. His first stint as prime minister was between 1981 and 2003.

He has held meetings with many senior civil servants in the last two weeks but the meeting on Monday will be his first mass meeting that will include lower-ranked officers of the 1.6-million strong civil service.

Dr Mahathir had held top level meetings in Putrajaya in the last two weeks - including with the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. These were held at his private office at the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

NST said there are 56 departments under the JPM, including the National Security Council, the Public Service Commission, the Economic Planning Unit and the Legal Affairs Division .

Following Monday's meeting, Dr Mahathir is scheduled to go to the National Palace to attend the oath taking ceremony by the new members of his cabinet before KingMuhammad V at 11am, NST reported.