Recently, our Transport Minister Anthony Loke reminds DAP leaders not to cause any polemic in society after a call to implement reforms in the public service by Penang Deputy Chief Minister II, Dr. P. Ramasamy. There is truth to be voiced out but I believe there is a time for everything.
Currently, Malaysia has a unity government comprising different parties, headed by Prime Minister Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim. All parties who are now part of this government have decided to put their differences aside and work together for the greater good of this country.
We know that our civil service is indeed in dire need of reforms. I definitely agree that Malaysia has a bloated civil service and the racial representation has not been a true reflection of our population given the great disparity in the ethnic makeup of our civil service.
Like many Malaysians, I love my nation. When I was in Upper Secondary School, I had ambitions to be part of the civil service. I had the opportunity to teach as a temporary teacher for a term. After that, I decided not to apply for Teacher’s Training even though a number of my friends did. The one term of experience opened my eyes to the declining discipline of students in the school as well as the unfair work distribution. I did not want to be weighed down by those factors. Hence, I opted to follow my heart, use my talents and be in the private sector.
Today, the civil service is dominated by one race. I do not think that our citizens of minority races are less capable or less patriotic. It is just that they have not been given a fair chance in many areas, from admission to universities, employment opportunities and rewards or promotions. I often hear of those who are capable of being loaded with extra work and assignments while their colleagues easily escape such workloads with various excuses.
Our bloated civil service is also not a good sign. When we have too many staff, many tend to take it easy and be complacent. So, it is not surprising that many are into Facebook or handphone activities that are not related to what they are supposed to be doing. Maybe a trimming down would push up efficiency and productivity.
I think we cannot be impatient and expect changes in all that we see that are flawed after decades of poor governance. Let us all unite, have a stable government, make Malaysia attractive to investors again and strengthen our economy. Meanwhile, I hope all our ministers work really, really hard in their various departments to improve and be at their optimum productivity.
Let us, from our top leaders to the man on the street, do all that we can for the greater good of Malaysia. Malaysia Boleh!
By Mei Wong
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