By; Chandra Muzaffar Kuala Lumpur.
YOUR report "The civil service and the public delivery system" (New Sunday Times, Feb 3) shows that significant progress has been made in the last two to three years in reducing bureaucratic red tape.
Some of the tangible improvements in frontline services observed, such as two hours to apply for a new passport and three hours to renew one's passport; 14 to 30 days to get a refund for overpaid income tax; and 15 minutes to renew a business licence are achievements which members of the public would be able to attest to.Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, one of the most dynamic and competent civil servants I have known, has been at the forefront of this endeavour to create a more efficient public delivery system. A handful of other committed civil servants, such as the director-general of the Immigration Department, Datuk Wahid Mohd Don, and the chief executive officer and director-general of the Inland Revenue Board, Datuk Hasmah Abdullah, also deserve to be commended. They see themselves as helping Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to fulfil the pledge he made to reduce red tape when he assumed office on Oct 31, 2003.
Of course, a lot more has to be done. The challenge is to transform the mindset of a substantial segment of a 1.2-million strong civil service sector so that efficiency and excellence become overriding norms in the work culture of Malaysian civil servants. By continuing to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks, by streamlining procedures and by putting new technologies to productive use, it is likely the civil service will perform better in the future. At the same time, competent individuals should be appointed and promoted while firm action should be taken against the incompetent ones. There should also be effective monitoring and supervision. Most of all, the top brass in the civil service should set the right example by adhering to the highest standards of integrity. This brings us to three other challenges that confront the civil service.One, the fight against corruption within the bureaucracy should continue with greater vigour. In the last three years, there has been more earnestness in combating this scourge than in the past, as evidenced by the increase in convictions against corrupt civil servants. Two, the government should intensify efforts to narrow the remuneration gap between the lower and upper echelons of the civil service. Here again, a start has been made through the biggest ever hike in salaries for the lower echelons -- in proportional terms -- in July last year. Three, the promise made by the prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the chief secretary to recruit and promote more non-Malays in the civil service with the laudable aim of evolving a genuinely multi-ethnic sector should be translated into concrete measures.In fact, last year, some preliminary steps were already taken. The educated stratum of society should show some understanding and appreciation of all these efforts to transform the image of the civil service and to enhance the public delivery system. While individuals and groups within this stratum have made a significant contribution to the nation by exposing the many flaws within the civil service, there has been some reluctance on their part to acknowledge some of the positive changes that have taken place in recent times. It is only when one undertakes to do both -- criticise wrongdoings and, at the same time, commend good work -- that civil servants will be motivated to improve their performance. It is incumbent upon us to adopt a balanced and rational approach towards the civil service which weighs both its pros and cons if we want a more effective public delivery system.
Some of the tangible improvements in frontline services observed, such as two hours to apply for a new passport and three hours to renew one's passport; 14 to 30 days to get a refund for overpaid income tax; and 15 minutes to renew a business licence are achievements which members of the public would be able to attest to.Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, one of the most dynamic and competent civil servants I have known, has been at the forefront of this endeavour to create a more efficient public delivery system. A handful of other committed civil servants, such as the director-general of the Immigration Department, Datuk Wahid Mohd Don, and the chief executive officer and director-general of the Inland Revenue Board, Datuk Hasmah Abdullah, also deserve to be commended. They see themselves as helping Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to fulfil the pledge he made to reduce red tape when he assumed office on Oct 31, 2003.
Of course, a lot more has to be done. The challenge is to transform the mindset of a substantial segment of a 1.2-million strong civil service sector so that efficiency and excellence become overriding norms in the work culture of Malaysian civil servants. By continuing to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks, by streamlining procedures and by putting new technologies to productive use, it is likely the civil service will perform better in the future. At the same time, competent individuals should be appointed and promoted while firm action should be taken against the incompetent ones. There should also be effective monitoring and supervision. Most of all, the top brass in the civil service should set the right example by adhering to the highest standards of integrity. This brings us to three other challenges that confront the civil service.One, the fight against corruption within the bureaucracy should continue with greater vigour. In the last three years, there has been more earnestness in combating this scourge than in the past, as evidenced by the increase in convictions against corrupt civil servants. Two, the government should intensify efforts to narrow the remuneration gap between the lower and upper echelons of the civil service. Here again, a start has been made through the biggest ever hike in salaries for the lower echelons -- in proportional terms -- in July last year. Three, the promise made by the prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the chief secretary to recruit and promote more non-Malays in the civil service with the laudable aim of evolving a genuinely multi-ethnic sector should be translated into concrete measures.In fact, last year, some preliminary steps were already taken. The educated stratum of society should show some understanding and appreciation of all these efforts to transform the image of the civil service and to enhance the public delivery system. While individuals and groups within this stratum have made a significant contribution to the nation by exposing the many flaws within the civil service, there has been some reluctance on their part to acknowledge some of the positive changes that have taken place in recent times. It is only when one undertakes to do both -- criticise wrongdoings and, at the same time, commend good work -- that civil servants will be motivated to improve their performance. It is incumbent upon us to adopt a balanced and rational approach towards the civil service which weighs both its pros and cons if we want a more effective public delivery system.
from the NST Online; 5/02/2008
