KUALA LUMPUR: An overwhelming 64 per cent of netizens agreed to the government’s move to come up with a law to punish civil servants who take orders from politicians, as polled by New Straits Times Online, Berita Harian Online and Harian Metro Online.
A stance of 9,941 Facebook and Twitter users cast their votes in the online polls which began yesterday.
Only 36 per cent of respondents disagree with the government’s bid to establish a law that will allow them to punish civil servants who take orders from politicians.
A Facebook user, Min Lin, said civil service is supposed to be apolitical and there was a time when the civil workers were ordered to attend political rallies during office hours since after Tun Hussein Onn’s administration.
“As a matter of fact, the civil service can only be apolitical if the government is apolitical.
“The executive must leave politics out of their management duties. Decisions made must be people centric with no reference to politics. Only then the Malaysian Civil Service can be really apolitical,” he commented on the online poll in New Straits Times online.
Another user Amir Mohammad Yatim opined that the government should established law to protect government officers from politicians first before they decide to punish them (civil servants).
Marc Janny, meanwhile, urged civil servants not to take orders from politicians.
“They should instead carry out orders or work given to them,” he said on Berita Harian online.
Another user Abdul Hanif commented: “Why only civil servants will be charged? What about the said politician? This action will make the civil servant become depressed,” he commented.