MALAYSIA will mark her 62 years of independence with the national theme of “Sayangi Malaysiaku: Malaysia Bersih”.
We want to dedicate this article to all civil servants in Malaysia. For many years, we have been viewed and criticised by various stereotypes.
We have to ask ourselves, do all those stereotypes represent us? If not, how do we change the way the public sees us. If yes, how do we improve ourselves to be better?
According to a report published by the World Bank, the performance of our civil service has been declining since 2014.
Last year, Victoria Kwakwa, the vice-president of the World Bank for East Asia and the Pacific, during her visit to the country highlighted that Malaysia was ranked low for accountability, impartiality as well as the transparency and openness of its public service.
Social activist Lee Lam Thye mentioned that it is heartening to note that the government is planning to implement a better remuneration package for civil servants, despite the challenging economic situation and revenue shortfall.
It is the right decision by the government to reward its employees for their hard work in delivering services to the public and their contribution to national development.
Some 1.6 million members of the civil service will be entitled to increased take-home pay under the revised remuneration package. About 60,000 public sector employees will benefit from the RM1,200 minimum monthly wage.
Currently, many government servants in the Implementation group receive a basic monthly salary of RM850, which is below the poverty line. Under the revised scheme, some 50,000 pensioners with at least 25 years of service would receive a minimum pension of RM950 a month.
With a better salary package, civil servants must continue to ensure efficient delivery of services. The pay rise should be an incentive for them to do their utmost and go the extra mile in serving the public.
The criticism by the World Bank should be a wake-up call for the government and civil servants to improve its working culture. We need to increase our efficiency and productivity to serve the public and be more transparent in handling public issues.
We no longer want to hear the stereotypes of “lazy civil servants”, “slow service” and “unnecessarily bureaucratic”.
We know it is bitter pill to swallow, but we have to admit that there is a strong perception among the public that our services are subpar.
Remember when Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during his first tenure, said that 2020 should be the year we achieve the “developed country” status.
An article by Ronald Benjamin posited that it is common sense to understand that it is not the role of the government to intervene in all matters. Particularly in the workforce context, when there is room for negotiations between employers and employees on how to reduce cost by increasing productivity.
While the economic outlook does not look favourable, it would be wrong to blame it on the increase in the minimum wage and a new policy requiring employers to pay Socso for foreign workers.
The question is, can the economy recover and become sustainable and equitable in the long run when the purchasing power of most of the workforce is low?
If the cost of doing business is high, what can we do to increase productivity? Have there been extensive efforts to use technology to reduce cost?
Malaysia’s productivity is in tandem with the ability of the workforce to innovate and apply advanced knowledge and technologies.
The issue of human capital development through high quality education is critical in achieving long-term sustainable growth and becoming a high-income nation.
Labour productivity, aided by technology, is vital to reduce the cost that would help in economic growth and bring down inflation.
Malaysia is going through a structural transitional phase in moving to a higher value economy. In this context, it is requisite for employers and employees to form partnerships to increase productivity, which will reduce the need for retrenchment.
How can we achieve that grand status if we as leaders practise favouritism at work and when we as civil servants perform our duties half-heartedly?
How can we as public officers go out for coffee break for hours while people queue up in front of only one available counter to get our services?
Definitely, we owe a duty to provide excellent assistance to the public. We are, after all, public servants and we are supposed to assist the people.
Doing our job right is how we show our love for our country.
Efficient service is our way of declaring our love for Malaysia.
We have to clean up our actions, transform for the betterment of the country, improve our productivity and efficiency to serve our constituents.
As the American civil rights activist Maya Angelou would say, “a leader sees greatness in other people, he or she can’t be much of a leader if all she sees is herself”.
The writers are attached at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies UiTM Shah Alam