Civil service role: Serve government of the day

By : DR CHRIS ANTHONY, Butterworth The NST Online

THE directive from the Penang Education Department not to compel teachers to attend official functions organised by the state government may be a good idea as many such functions are a waste of precious time.
All too often teachers are taken away from their classrooms to attend functions that are not relevant to their duties. Such valuable time could be better spent in the classroom with their students. However, the decision to grant such an option to teachers because the state is no longer under Barisan Nasional rule lacks professionalism and understanding of our democratic system. It is important to remember that teachers, as civil servants, serve the public and the government. The government is elected by the people. Therefore, civil servants must respect and take orders that are legitimate from state government officials regardless of the political party that forms it.
Civil servants themselves should be non-partisan. After being subjected to 50 years of rule by a single party it may be difficult to accept a sudden change in the administration, and the emergence of "Little Napoleons", who are reluctant to adopt changes, will be inevitable. The new administration should be patient and try to win over the trust and confidence of civil servants before embarking on radical changes, especially controversial ones. The changes they undertake should be seen to benefit the people in general and not as a means to run down the previous administration. If done with care and caution, it would be possible to change the mindset of the civil servants and develop a clear partition between a political party and the government. The people have spoken and the verdict must be accepted by all, including civil servants. They must change to adapt to working with the new government which is elected by the people. Politicians come and go but the government with its various ministries and departments should remain non-partisan, committed to serve in accordance with the laws of the state, irrespective of which party rules it. In the final analysis, the system that is in place should benefit not the party or the government but the people who are the real masters.

Opening Strategic Plan Sharing Session - KP's burning speech

The Zon Regency Grand Ballroom - The Burning Platform

It was on the 24th March, 2008 about 8.45 pm, the welcoming speech was delivered by the honorable Dato' KP... as usual my habit has always been to write down what were delivered for my own future references, I could not get the whole bunch on every sentences he could have said but the gists and facts amongst others are listed down in the structured form as follows :

• He thanked the commitee and BPM for convening this 3rd session and welcoming the southern zone participants from Johore, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor and KL's HQ.
  
• He stressed the importance and benefits that must be derived from the forum i.e. every participant selected and present played an important and vital role in deliberating and enhancing the living 'strategic plan' document, the document must all times be a guided reference source in order for the department to move forward in it endeavor to become a "WCO by 2010" and onwards.
• He questioned us all whether we are still relevant, making a point here that the organization had celebrated it's 75 years old anniversary in 2006 and we felt so complacent, we are proud being part of it ... but time has changed, we are in the limelight as always when comes to "flood woes", the central agencies are looking at us, everyone in the street are pointing fingers at the organization that we are in... can we deliver ? money is spent but problems still persist on end.
• About performance in expenditure; he adamantly pointed that we are ' Pandai mintak duit tetapi masaalah tidak selesai ' the annual performance has always been excellent above 95% but by looking into the overall RM9 midterm review we had spent only about 20% of the RM6.2 billion allocated. We have yet to handle the remaining 80% within the next 2.5 years from now i.e. the other second term .. can we be able to do it ?? He meant to do it strategically .. spent it with results delivered. He has seriously started a ' war gaming room' for monitoring every projects carried out... He gave all of us an ultimatum "take it or leave it"...a do or die kind of scenario !
• He then requested all of us to think in the right perspective, giving our thoughts about the matters that need be done, who else that can deliver if not us all here, meaningful strategists, we could not be doing and keeping inside the document, to look deep inside, possibly redo making it 'workable', living and relevant document.
• He further stressed on the importance of understanding of the SP at all levels of the organization in all the divisions, states and districts. This must come handy and its not meant to be shouldered by the top leadership only.. everyone at all levels no matter where he works must subscribed to it. It's the understanding of it will make matters worth deliberating, moving and leading forward with pride towards WCO.
• He mentioned the vital need of a succession plan, a well developed game plan for a well groom set of people to be leaders that are committed, able to deliver, knowledgeable, with the right attitude and values, and willing to push and work towards achieving our vision. A guessing game, a choice of leaders that come unexpectedly would not be beneficial for an organization like us now.
• He still feels that we have not proved enough on our delivery system and being leaders in our field we have got to ' Walk the talk ', leadership is an essential ingredient in the success of our SP, to be effective and credible, effective leadership and management are vital and subscribing to the rules and regulations is definitely mandatory. How well we do our role over the next two years depends on the decisions made today. Given the short span of time, it is critical that leaders and managers must act with full commitment, boldness and having sense of urgency for action.
• Many points were mentioned and noted especially about the importance of the SMART tunnel project to KL city folks that the department had contributed, the poor performance over the RM9 midterm review etc. BUT amongst all else, he had reiterated that we all are desperate now.. the WCO goal by 2010 is around the corner and to get rid from the barrier to our strategy execution and move on.

Fight graft with integrity pacts

Josie M. Fernandez The SunSurf

WORLDWIDE, new governments pronounce passionately that combating corruption will be their priority agenda during their tenure. Malaysia is no different. The fight against corruption has been an evolving story since 1957. The first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra was instrumental in the enactment of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1961 and the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Agency. In 1998 then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad directed the formation of Integrity Management Committees in government agencies to investigate abuse of power and mismanagement. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi instituted various measures to eradicate corruption such as the Royal Police Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Police Force in December 2003.The National Integrity Plan was launched in 2006 and the Integrity Institute of Malaysia established. The Anti–Corruption Academy, a regional centre for anti-corruption training became operational in 2005.

Despite all these efforts corruption continues to be described as being pandemic in the country. Party manifestoes for the General Election 2008 therefore gave top priority to fighting corruption. Newly appointed Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng have pronounced their desire to continue the battle against corruption. It is unclear how they will do this. Khalid has stated he would look into a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) for greater transparency in the award of projects. The FOI gives citizens the right of access to bureaucratic documents. This may be helpful but enactment of laws and their implementation are not instantaneous.

Anti-corruption advocates point out that "Prosecution is a blunt tool against corruption." Prevention is better than cure in the battle against corruption as experiences from developed economies such as the UK, Germany and South Korea and developing economies such as Colombia and Indonesia indicate. One anti-corruption tool that is being used extensively in these countries is the Integrity Pact.

The Integrity Pact (IP), a tool developed by Transparency International, is intended to prevent corruption during the award of contracts for major investment projects. The IP, an important tool for integrity in procurement, contains rights and obligations that no party will pay, offer, demand or accept bribes of any kind or collude with competitors to obtain the contract or while carrying it out. Bidders will also disclose commissions paid in relation to the contract. The IP is binding on both contract suppliers and contract bidders. Sanctions and punitive actions as well as future exclusions from contract bidding are some of the actions that can be taken against those who violate the IP. Additionally, adherence to IPs is monitored by non-governmental organisations.

The IPs can be tailored to the needs of federal and state governments and local authorities. In the UK, IPs are being increasingly used in defence agreements and the construction industry. The Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe has adopted the use of IPs in defence contracts. In Germany the IP was successfully used in the expansion of the Berlin-Schonefeld airport. South Korea has significantly reduced corruption through the Korean Pact on Anti-Corruption and Transparency (K-PACT).

The K-PACT’s strategy of involving the public and private sectors, politicians and civil society has improved transparency and built investor confidence.

Colombia has implemented more than 60 IPs in various sectors including telecommunications. In Mexico more than 45 IPs are operational. The biggest infrastructure project of the decade, the El Cajon hydroelectric plant has adopted the IP. An interesting aspect of the Latin American experience of implementing IPs is the role of the Social Witness — an independent and technically competent monitor. The Muncipality of Moron in Argentina has held public hearings for contracts in waste collection services. As a result, Moron spent less on waste collection compared to other municipalities in Buenos Aires.

Closer to home, Solok district in West Sumatra offers some useful lessons in the adoption of IPs at the local level. (I was a member of the evaluation team of IP implementation in Solok in December 2006). In 2003, Gamawan Fauzi, then Regent of Solok district and now Governor of West Sumatra, studied the Korean Pact and introduced a similar pact in Solok. All procurement processes are bound by the IP. Access to public information and community participation has brought several benefits to the district. Project costs were reduced by 30%. Special awards in addition to the salary were given to public officials for efficient implementation of the IP. Defects in projects such as the Kapala Bandan bridge were highlighted as a result of community monitoring. However local contractors were not very happy with the IP implementation. Too much transparency resulted in contracts being given to outsiders resulting in loss of job opportunities for locals! This is an area that will need some attention.

The implementation of IPs is cost effective. It takes about four months for all the processes to be put in place from training of public officials, industry, civil society, procedural changes to the preparation of documents. Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and non-BN led states could make IP implementation their priority in the battle against corruption.

For a start, non-BN MPs should set the example by signing an IP that they will not abuse their power or accept bribes.

Josie Fernandez is affiliated with numerous social interest organisations, including the Integrity Institute of Malaysia. 

Down memory lane by the sea with management gameplan

I have not been writing for almost a week now, but in the late evening I am already jotting anything that I could remember,  just recuperating from the blues of  3 days 2 nights hectic workshop down memory lane in the Zon Regency by the sea at Stulang Laut, Johore Bahru. It's a good job to be away from office for a while, at least to revitalized my bored and mind boggling brain, at least for a change in atmosphere... But thats not a rest at all, to be away was meant to be strained again, cranky day and night from 8.30 am untill 11.00 pm bull shitting with the group mesmerizing and trying to chew the hard and dormant cake called the management gameplan or the organization's strategy... The management gameplan has been there for over 2 years already and was developed long time back since 1998... The vision has always ... To Become World class Organization by 2010... but time is almost there, less than 3 years now.. but are we ready ???  We are desperate, are we ?? but do we understand in the first place about what has been documented ??  Well...

"Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them"

Alfred North Whitehead.

As organizations become team oriented, more of peoples' time is taken up with meetings. That becomes problematic when the outcome of those gatherings is a lot of talk about vissionary objectives that are never accomplished.

There is nothing more debilitating to the energy of a group than inaction on the ideas they generate. It is a waste of time and money to bring people together to be creative, to talk about situations and ideas, and then have them leave with no action plans.

Perak Regent: Don’t let power lead you astray

By CLARA CHOOI The STAR.

IPOH: The Regent of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah has urged leaders to learn from the failures of empires and nations, and even monarchs and leaders.
He said historical evidence showed that many people were given the opportunity to become leaders but only a handful rose to be successful leaders who created history and built civilisations.
“This happened because many of those given the chance to lead allowed the joy and passion of having power to lead them astray. Some among them became complacent, some went astray, some were ill advised, some adopted wrong decisions and some made miscalculations. "

Service award: Raja Dr Nazrin Shah presenting the Outstanding Mosque Officer award to Radhi Kamarul Hailan as Mentri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin looks on during the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration at the State Secretariat in Ipoh on Thursday.“Such are the historical accounts of leaders and leadership which the ummah (people) of today should learn from so as not to repeat the mistakes,” he said at the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration and presentation of prizes for memorisation of the Quran at the State Secretariat here yesterday.
He said the failures were mostly due to leaders who lost their way in their eagerness to seize more power.
He said a good leader was one who realised he was no different from the subjects he led and possessed the qualities of humility, discipline, commitment, honesty and willingness to sacrifice. “The act of leading is a responsibility that should be fulfilled with trust,” Raja Dr Nazrin said.
He said Muslim leaders should use the Quran and Hadis as their sources of reference for guidance in discharging their role as leaders.
“He who leads must know that he is always under God’s watchful eye and is always being weighed and measured by his people,” he said.
Raja Dr Nazrin said a responsible leader should identify the road ahead for his followers.
“Leading is a responsibility that should be accomplished by trust,” he said.
“The leadership of giving prominence to the ummah practised by Prophet Muhammad garnered the people’s support for Him, and also for the teachings laid down by Him. As a result, Islam underwent rapid expansion in a short time, cutting across cultural, geographical and political boundaries.
“Islam was universally accepted and was no longer restricted to being the religion of the Arabs in the Arab land. The leadership of Prophet Muhammad was also accepted and recognised worldwide, even long after He had passed away,” he said.
Raja Dr Nazrin said he did not want celebrations such as Maulidur Rasul to be treated as mere “routine” and “ritualistic” functions.
“Each celebration involves time, money and much effort. Therefore, each event should bear its purpose and be productive in nature,” he said.

Produktif jika ketawa

" Laughter is inner jogging"

Norman Cousins

Ketawa membawa banyak faedahnya - walaupun ditempat kerja....serius! Ia meleburkan stres, mengembalikan kesihatan diri. Ianya mengerakkan reaksi kimia dan kreativiti yang membawa individu atau kumpulan kearah pemikiran yang serius yang tidak pernah dibawa mereka sebelum ini.

Apakah kita lakukan bagi menggalakkan ketawa di tempat kerja? Ada kalanya serius yang mutlak diperlukan, tetapi bukan lah setiap hari, setiap minit atau saat. Kadangkala silap sedikit maka keceriaan menghilang dan membawa masa yang panjang mengharung kembali fokas yang penuh stres. Kita sebagai pekerja harus membawa kegembiraan dan terus produktif. Bagi yang membawa keseronokan bekerja yang serius, dengan senyum dan ketawa sebenarnya yang banyak menghasilkan output kerja, dan mereka juga yang sanggup menghadapi cabaran cabaran baru dan senentiasa memperbaiki kelemahan diri. Buka langkah dengan senyuman, Pimpinlah dengan ketawa sedikit dan orang lain akan mengikut kita dengan gembiranya. 

Leadership is graft free administration

Stay away from corruption, Cabinet told

By V.P. SUJATA and MAZWIN NIK ANIS; The STAR Online.

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expects those in his new Cabinet to stay away from corruption, serve with integrity and dignity, go to the ground often and organise frequent meet-the-grassroots sessions.  The Prime Minister also wants his ministers to be people-friendly wakil rakyat, be ever willing to serve, and be ready to continue with government policies that are popular among the people and the private sector. During his inaugural post-election Cabinet meeting, Abdullah reminded his ministers to be well-behaved. “They must completely reject corruption. They must stay away from corrupt practices and there should be no compromise on this issue.  “We are waging a war against corruption and we are serious about it,” he told a packed press conference after the meeting. Abdullah also spoke at length on the importance of addressing and attending to issues that had emerged during the election, adding it was crucial to take note of the message that the people had relayed to Barisan Nasional through the election results. He said the issues that would be closely looked into included judiciary reforms, inflation, crime and the aspirations of the younger generation. “We need to understand them and respond to their needs. At the same time, we need to step up implementation efforts. It has to be effective, vigorous and be carried out with greater determination. We must ensure that our projects create greater success and bring more prosperity to the rakyat,” he said.  On the Ninth Malaysia Plan, which has entered its second phase, the Prime Minister said whatever that has been drawn up must be carried out, adding the Economic Planning Unit would draw up a study on the matter for the Cabinet to review and discuss. On the fate of the projects that were drawn up for the five states that had fallen to the opposition, Abdullah said he would be discussing with the respective state governments as some of the projects had been decided upon and money had been paid. 

Abdullah also briefed his ministers on the decision to have everyone publicly declare their assets, which would be done twice throughout the five-year term, adding that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) would come up with forms for them to fill up for the process of declaring their assets. 

He said that an annual review would also be held to gauge the effectiveness of the government’s actions, especially in responding to issues and problems, adding the present system of having a review at the end of every four years was insufficient. The Prime Minister said that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak spoke on behalf of the rest, pledging their support and loyalty to the government and promised to work hard for the people, adding he was touched to see their determination, which reflected unity and the spirit of togetherness.  

The GOD -Government Of the Day

Perhimpunan bulan Mac 2008

Pagi ini jam 8.30am, 19 Mac, 2008 berlangsungnya perhimpunan ketiga bagi tahun ini, cuaca amat baik dan redup. Pentas hadapan diisi oleh Y.Bhg. Dato' KP, Y.Bhg. Dato' Ong Siew Heng dan Ir. KJ Abraham. Majlis didendangkan dengan kumpulan koir ibupejabat dengan dua nyanyian lagu 'Negara Ku' dan 'Perkhidmatan Awam' sahaja, tidak tahu sebab kenapa kali ini lagu 'Cemerlang JPS' tidak dinyanyikan. Tahniah kepada Ir. Hj Zul Mohamad wewakili BSGE membaca doa majlis dengan nada yang bersemangat. Sekali lagi saya meneruskan usaha merekodkan hasil luahan dan harapan Dato' KP tu kerana hanya dengan blog ini saja sesiapa saja boleh membacanya, merenung dan mengimbas kembali apabila perlu, diantaranya adalah :

• KP menarik perhatian mengenai keadaan hujan kelmarin di beberapa tempat di Subang, Shah Alam yang beliau rasai keamatan yang begitu tinggi dan mengakibatkan berlakunya banjir jika tempuhnya berlanjutan. Fenomena perubahan cuaca yang tidak menentu dan ketara boleh menyebabkan kejadian banjir berlaku tanpa musim dan ini memperlihatkan peri perlunya Jabatan sentiasa cergas melaksanakan program mengatasi banjir yang amat diperlukan.
• Beliau juga menyatakan tanggungjawab tugas tebatan banjir adalah masih relevan dan harapan pihak Kementerian dan rakyat begitu tinggi keatas permasaalahan ini dan Jabatan perlu amat proaktif dan segera dalam menjalankan tugas tersebut. Beliau menyatakan kejadian banjir 2006 dan 2007 terutamanya di Johor sudah ada peruntukkan tapi masih lembab dilaksanakan oleh Jabatan, perkara ini perlukan penekanan yang amat serius dan gerakan perlu segera di jalankan.
• Oleh itu, penekalan program banjir adalah utama dan beliau telah mengorak langkah menstrukturkan tugas tugas ini dan memberi notis awal akan perubahan beberapa keperluan penting rancangan ini termasuk menempatkan dengan menukarkan secara pentadbiran pegawai pegawai dimana perlu didalam usaha memperkemaskan dan mengerakakan keutamaaan program tebatan banjir ini. Beliau mengingatkan kepada pegawai pegawai supaya menerima tanggungjawab tersebut jika diarahkan bertukar demi perkhidmatan awam dan surat pertukaran adalah didalam proses.
  
• Y.Bhg. Dato' KP memaklumkan keputusan perlantikan Menteri Baru bagi Kementerian iaitu Y.B Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas dan Timbalan nya Y.B. Datuk Seri Abdul Gapur Salleh dimana kita disarankan akan memberikan kerjasama terbaik keatas kerajaan yang memerintah kali ini.
• Tidak lupa juga beliau mengucapkan selamat berjaya kepada Y.B. Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid yang tidak lagi bersama kita kali ini dan menyifatkan beliau sebagai Menteri yang teliti dan amat tegas didalam menjalankan tugas tugasnya yang memerlukan komitmen sepenuhnya daripada semua yang terlibat.
• Y.Bhg. Dato' KP mengumumkan penerimaan kelulusan keatas Perlantikan TKP(Operasi) oleh Ir. KJ Abraham dan Pengarah Sungai & Pantai oleh Y.Bhg. Dato' S.H. Ong bermula dari 1 April 2008 dan mengucapkan tahniah. Namun Jawatan TKP(Pembangunan) masih belum diterima lagi. Bagi jawatan jawatan lain JUSA, J54, J48 dll sudah lama dihantar dan kemungkinan jawapannya juga akan diperolehi tidak lama lagi.
  
• Y.Bhg. Dato' KP memaklumkan kepada semua pegawai pegawai yang mempunyai ijazah kejuruteraan tetapi masih tidak diserapkan ke jawatan Jurutera hendaklah melapurkan status mereka dan mendaftar segera untuk ditemuduga melalui Pengarah Khidmat Pengurusan.
• Keperluan Fail Meja bagi setiap pegawai hendaklah sentiasa ada, perkara ini sudah menjadi dasar kerajaan yang ada didalam pekeliling, beliau meminta supaya setiap pegawai sudah mempunyainya dan meminta Pengarah Kualiti dan Audit Prestasi mengerakkan pengauditan diatas perkara ini jua.

Asian bosses need to improve workers’ benefits: Study

MANILA: Asia’s aging population and an expected shortage of skilled workers in the future makes it important for the region’s employers to offer cost-effective benefits to keep increasingly scarce talents, a survey released Monday said.The 2007 study of workers’ attitudes by management consultant Watson Wyatt Worldwide showed Asian workers gave their employers low ratings on pay and benefits and effective internal communication practices. Those are key drivers for workers’ “engagement,” defined as commitment to the company and efforts to make it successful.More than 6,500 full-time employees covering all major sectors in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand were surveyed, with a 1.2 per cent sampling margin of error. Some 27 per cent of workers surveyed indicated they were actively considering leaving their current employer, the study found. Workers’ engagement was found at a low of 39 per cent of respondents in Japan to a high of 78 per cent in India.
“Programs that increase engagement can improve individual performance and productivity as well as reduce employee turnover,” the study said. Companies need to offer a competitive pay and benefits package and to communicate their value effectively to workers, it added.Forward-looking companies, it said, are replacing one-size-fits-all programs with flexible ones that target their most valuable employees.“In this war for talent, only those with the best competitive solutions can expect to win,” said Adrew Heard, Watson Wyatt’s Asia Pacific benefits practice director.An earlier study by the company showed that by 2050, Asia will be home to a billion people aged 60 and above, causing workers’ shortage in Japan, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore unless they become more flexible in keeping older workers employed.James Matti, Watson Wyatt Philippines’ managing consultant, said in the Philippines, which has a young population, overall worker turnover is at 11 per cent a year. Business process outsourcing companies, however, see at least 23 per cent of workers leaving yearly. - AP

The Business Times Online : 18 March 2008