Government support system and the ETP — Sakmongkol AK47

The executive summary of the NEM says Vision 2020 is not possible without economic, social and governmental transformation. I am not trying to run down the 10 people who sat as members in creating the thick document, but this fact is already a known parameter.

It is belabouring the obvious. We know, for example, the secret of good government is good people. By good people we mean a qualified, dedicated and determined civil service. Consisting of people who understand the mission of this country is to provide solutions to the public. I hope Najib’s plans for Malaysia, impregnated with a myriad of acronyms, will bear fruition. This country must never be deluded into believing that we can progress based on some catchy phrases. Why don’t we just shut up and just do it?

The whole reason for being in power and we putting others in power is so that they can manage our economy well. Don’t care how we want to measure it, we just want better opportunities, better material wellbeing, housing, jobs and business opportunities. We can get diarrhoea with a diet of so many phrases. Let’s ask some awkward questions. What is the proportion of the ETP that is focused on solving the economic problems of the poor?

We seemed to be talking more about large infra jobs which are spoken for by the big players; we have these businesses probably underwritten by CIMB, we have BOs that are also probably reserved for some people. What about linking economically depressed region such as in Kelantan and Terengganu to the mainstream? Invigorate business activities there and promote small businesses. How much is allocated to small and medium-sized businesses? We are not aware of this emphasis because the whole plan is from, by and for the elite. I have written, if the government is serious about income distribution, impose a moratorium on the big players — the Berjayas, YTLs, SP Setias, and all others. We are simply tired of reading about the same people being given big deals — MRCB, Gamuda, MMC and all these. You mean after all those salad day years, they are still not able to compete in the open market? Yet at the same time, we are asking the public, the outsiders, to compete on their own?

The ETP show is about mesmerising people that something is afoot but as often the case, everything has been decided. Let’s start with the GTP — Government Transformation Programme. In the previous administration, this was the bane of governance. The delivery system was fouled up by little Napoleons. Those pesky, overbearing and pretending-to-be-clever civil servants. How do we transform the civil service? By dishing out palliatives, afraid of saying things as they are? The immediate solution, to my mind, is to open up the civil service to talented people. I suspect that many in the civil service got to where they are today because the civil service was the only avenue for a career opened to them. They wouldn’t make it in the non-civil service for the simple reason they are not qualified enough. We can’t do anything about this anymore. We can’t fire them. But we can determine the future profiling. Make the entry qualifications to enter government service higher.

I mean higher across the board. To ensure the services by the government are delivered by qualified people. Let’s stop being sentimental about this. Government service shouldn’t be treated as a dumping ground for academic rejects and mediocre material. Let’s demand a certain high standard and ensure we bring in talent that supports that demand for high standards. Will this step run afoul of Article 153 of the constitution? That article does indeed stipulate that certain positions are to be filled by Bumiputeras. It didn’t say however that they must be filled by ANY Bumiputera. Why not better qualified Bumiputeras? We cannot believe that after so many years and after donkey years of churning out degree holders, there isn’t a critical mass of better qualified Bumiputeras? Let them hold top positions. But insist the other positions be filled by good talent. You simply can’t improve the delivery of services using mediocre talent. What has the government done to improve the efficiency and competence of government servants? There isn’t really competition there if the service is dominated by one race. There isn’t sufficient quality if the entry-level qualifications are so-so.

Yet each year, to placate civil servants, the PM will appear on TV to say, we honour our civil servants because they have done a good job, blah blah. Which is not entirely true. The service is slow, the quality of officers is questionable. Those people talking about the GTP have not talked openly about the issue of talent in the civil service and in government. If we don’t open up our civil service, it will atrophy. It is a simple observation of experience. If we don’t open up and cultivate competition to get into government service, we get what ails our service now — little Napoleonism. The imposition of pettiness by mediocre talent that fouls up the delivery service. — sakmongkol.blogspot.com

* Sakmongkol AK47 is the nom de plume of Datuk Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz. He was Pulau Manis assemblyman (2004-2008).