Dr. Hamsa Ali makes a Wrong Start
by Dr. Lim Teck Ghee @www.malaysiakini.com
In his first public interview since assuming the position of
Chief Secretary, Dr. Hamsa Ali, said all the politically correct and
bland things that one expects from someone eager to show Malaysians that
he is up to the challenge of a big job.
From being a cheerleader attempting to
rouse the morale of his troops (according to him, the performance of the
civil service has been “excellent”) to sounding patriotic and humble
(“We need to continuously raise the bar to be among the best…”; “we
can’t treat what we do as a job as what we do must benefit all
Malaysians”), the orchestrated and carefully calibrated interview with
the New Straits Times was clearly meant to impress and get Malaysians on his side.
Corruption in the Civil Service
Unfortunately, it failed to address the
two most important failings of the civil service. The endemic and
systemic corruption that Malaysia is suffering from could not have taken
place without the collusion of the country’s civil servants. Closing
one eye or acting as facilitators to businessmen and political leaders
is standard operating procedure for more than a few in the upper reaches
of the bureaucracy.
Everyone
knows that doing business in the country has to pass through a thicket
of civil servants. This includes big ticket multi-million dollar
projects often given out under the pretext of so-called ‘national
interest’ where the opportunities for massive corruption and kickbacks
are especially prevalent.
Besides grand corruption, there is also
low level and petty corruption by enforcement and other officers preying
on ordinary citizens including the poor or marginalised. Whether it is
getting a licence to operate a restaurant or securing a multi-million
dollar contact for the ongoing ‘Cowgate’ scandal, the public is fully
aware that knowing the right jalan (road) can hasten the path to
approval or delay or doom a business proposition. It appears that the
businessmen and political leaders engaged in activities that have
brought windfall and undeserved gains know who the ‘right’ civil
servants are.
The fact is that few high-level corruption cases ever see the light of day. Government
officials living beyond their means and official income are not hauled
up to answer for their unexplained wealth. This inertia has encouraged a
culture of corruption to be deeply embedded within the bureaucracy.
Ethical and clean civil servants have
suffered in silence fearing that their opposition to hanky-panky would
result in setback to their career advancement prospects. It must be
disappointing to them that the Chief Secretary did not say a single word
in his interview about reforms to clean the civil service of corrupt
and unethical practices, especially at the highest levels of the civil
service.
In bed with Barisan
Another major failing of the civil service is that it has been successfully co-opted by Barisan Nasional (BN) to act as the tool of the ruling party. Far from being a politically neutral actor, the civil service has failed to observe strict administrative impartiality. Especially in developments related to the political life of the country, key bodies such as the Judiciary, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police, the Election Commission (EC), and the official media have helped to strengthen BN’s political grip. They have also been instruments used to undermine democratic rights and freedoms of Malaysians.
In bed with Barisan
Another major failing of the civil service is that it has been successfully co-opted by Barisan Nasional (BN) to act as the tool of the ruling party. Far from being a politically neutral actor, the civil service has failed to observe strict administrative impartiality. Especially in developments related to the political life of the country, key bodies such as the Judiciary, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police, the Election Commission (EC), and the official media have helped to strengthen BN’s political grip. They have also been instruments used to undermine democratic rights and freedoms of Malaysians.
Instead of untying the umbilical cord
between the BN and the civil service, the Chief Secretary gave a pointed
hint that he is likely to reinforce it. In response to a leading
question whether “some civil servants are being influenced by promises
made by the opposition”, his reply was that “They should know better.
Don’t be taken in by empty promises.”
Although he qualified this reply by
stating that “[a]s civil servants we must be loyal to the king and serve
the government of the day”, the intent of his reply was clear.
A string of lacklustre Chief Secretaries
Hamsa
Ali may prove to be the latest in a series of lacklustre and mediocre
Chief Secretaries in the country. Mediocrity breeds mediocrity. Because
of their poor leadership, the civil service has seen few reforms. Today,
we have a bloated 1.4 million-strong body that has been a victim of
as well as an accessory and beneficiary to the abuses and misrule of
the country.
The new Chief Secretary has the
opportunity to begin the difficult process of cleansing the civil
service and making it efficient and trustworthy. For this to happen, he
must focus on removing the two principal obstacles which stand in the
way of a rejuvenated and clean civil service. Can he do it or is he like
many others before him having his eye on his post-retirement benefits?
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