Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Malaysia Civil Service Revisited

Not too long ago, I got myself into a little "tiff" with UMNO Deputy Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin when I released a press statement which cited the need for the Government to "streamline" a bloated civil service. I also stated that the accelerated increase in the number of civil servants was partially caused by the Government's policy of absorbing a "politically sensitive" pool of unemployed graduates into its fold.

As a result, the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief claimed that I was insulting Malays. Well, it appears that I'm definitely not alone with my opinions.

The Singapore Straits Times correspondent in Malaysia, Carolyn Hong, wrote an article "Stampede for govt jobs in Malaysia" on 24th September.
Last month, when [the Government] advertised for three electronics technical assistants and one electronics engineer, it was swamped with 9,216 resumes for the first job and 3,705 for the second.

The public sector, it seems, is the most popular employer these days.
And the reason?
It is the result of the government's drive to produce more graduates. One in every five Malaysian workers now has a degree or diploma, compared with one in seven five years ago.

Many new Malay graduates flock to the government sector because, as [economist] Datuk Dr Zainal [Aznam Yusof] said, they find it harder than others to find jobs in the private sector.
The article also quote a few other Malay economists on the jobs and employment situation in Malaysia. I'd certainly like to hear whether the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief will similarly think that what they are saying represents an "insult" to Malays.

The Government must face up to the problems faced by the bloated civil service as well as the increasing rate of unemployment among local graduates. To a large extent the very cause of the current problems faced, particularly by the bumiputera community, is ironically the New Economic Policy (NEP) itself, which was designed to assist them. Until the NEP is discarded and a more progressive policy implemented, the problems facing the community are only expected worsen in the coming years, and not as intended, improve.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Government jobs are iron rice-bowl. You won't be sacked even though you've made serious mistakes.

Don't believe? See our ministers, from Semi Value to Chang Kong Choi, scandals after scandals, so what, under the sleepy PM, they are still happily employed.

The end losers are the citizens, e.g., suffer massive traffic jams everyday after paying tolls and use unsafe infrastructures. Worse still, use our billions of tax money to bailout their mistakes! So do we still want this kind of government?

Anonymous said...

I am very confident that if all the government departments sack half to one third of their staff across the board, it will not affect the quality of services but will even make the departments more efficient

When I was in UK, in one department there was only ONE laboratory assistant to service all the department practical teachings!!! In Malaysia we get almost ONE LAB ASSISTANT TO ONE LECTURER. What a waste of money. At most times these lab staff are not working but busy "missing' and playing truant

In the good old days, lab staff and technicians are provided free uniforms to wear. And you can see them everywhere in their uniforms. Truancy was difficult as they can be easily spotted. Nowadays the lab staff are given uniforms but very very very few even bother wearing it. Most wear normal clothes making it difficult to know if they are staff, their ranking as they are behaving like officers...hehe

Just visit UM to see the above phenomenon. I doubt if the VC , TNC or Deans or heads of departments see these events

Anonymous said...

My primary concern is the job crunch which has already started with the effects of the slowing progress of the economy coupled with the relatively large numbers of young people entering the job market now and for the next several years.

As is typical of the clueless BN government, it only resorts to short-term measures of hiring unemployable graduates en masse instead of focusing on initiatives to spark the economy to achieve higher levels of growth and productivity which in turn leads to permanent new job creation.

p.s. Thanks for a great Budget 2008 forum held recently at your new Damansara Utama seminar hall and also for your insights exchanged over the yum cha session held after the forum :)

Anonymous said...

Actually 2 of the saddest news.

1. Nurin
2. 1/3 of Langkawi fishes dead and poisoned by a Malaysian.

How can there be murderers like that???!!!

1/3 of fishes of the 4000 number - can you imagine? And these are the main display of Langkawi Aquarium. I am so sad. I went to that Aquarium and the fishes swam there for 12 years. The Shark was 12 years old killed by a Malaysian.

We are losing our values.

1. When we get angry, we threaten others and frame one another of wrong doings. The news we read of corruptions are those framed for revealing discrepancies in the govt.

2. When we get threatened, we use C4 bombs from the government storage.

3. When we get angry, we poison fishes that have been brought all over the world.

What has become of us?

Money is our god.
Politics is our god.
We are power crazy.
We think that the short cut way is the way for Malaysians.
We think that we can get what we want, however we want it.

To solve problems, we murder.
To get what we want, we steal even if the baby is a sweetheart of another.
We resort to bribing and covering up.

But Allah S.W.T. knows and sees our heart. Hakim Yang Adil menghakimi semua.

Every action has a consequence.
What we sow, we will reap.
But, it will also cause others pain and misery.

Why? Why do it?

Just live an upright life and be patient.

Rezeki setimpal dengan usaha. Allah S.W.T. akan memberkati segala ketakwaan dan kesabaran kita. Lebih baik menanti nikmat Allah S.W.T. dari merebut dengan gelojoh tanpa memikirkan akibatnya atau hukuman yang menanti.

Marilah kita memilih makanan rohani dari makanan ego.

Kita boleh menggunakan segala peluang untuk menjadi hamba Allah S.W.T. Bersyukurlah nikmat Allah S.W.T. dan menjauhilah dari ego yang tak tentu hala.

Berikut kisah Rasulullah ketika Isra’

Rasulullah S.A.W. mengalami pembedahn dada/perut dilakukan oleh Malaikat Jibril. Hati Baginda S.A.W. dicuci dengan air zamzam, dibuang ketul hitam (’alaqah) iaitu tempat syaitan membisikkan waswasnya. Kemudian dituangkan hikmat, ilmu, dan iman ke dalam dada Rasulullah S.A.W. Selepas pembedahan, didatangkan binatang Buraq untuk ditunggangi oleh Rasulullah dalam perjalanan luar biasa yang dinamakan Isra’

Tiba di masjid al-Aqsha, Rasulullah turun dari buraq. Kemudian masuk ke dalam masjid dan mengimamkan sembahyang dua rakaat dengan segala anbia dan mursalin menjadi ma’mun.

Rasulullah SAW terasa dahaga, lalu dibawa Jibil dua jenis minuman - khamr (bahasa Arab yang bermaksud sesuatu yang memabukkan) dan susu. Lantas, Rasulullah memilih susu.

Jibril berkata,
"Benar, engkau telah memilih air susu adalah lambang kesucian dan seandainya engkau mengambil minuman keras nescaya akan tersesatlah engkau dan umat engkau."

Jika mengikut nafsu dan kebiasaan minuman jahiliah yang menonjolkan sifat kelelakian, mesti dipilih minuman keras. Tetapi, dipilih susu walaupun tidak mencerminkan tindakan agresif dan kelelakian. Memang tidak masuk akal, tapi ini juga pilihan yang akan diberkati Allah S.W.T.

Semoga kita memilih yang betul. Yang sudah memikirkan untuk memberi jawapan kesat atau jalan pintas, biarlah dipenuhi fikiran yang sempurna. Yang sudah mempunyai niat membabi buta, biarlah mengurung diri dan bersembahyang. Sembahyanglah sebelum disembahyangkan - sekarang lepas baca posting pun tidak terlambat. Masa akan menentukan apa yang bakal dianugerahkan kepada mereka yang sabar melaksanakan yang betul.

Anonymous said...

The word 'efficiency' never exists in UMNO's dictionary. For the purposes of gaining votes, they need to absorb the unemployable graduates (no need to explain what race they are), otherwise, they will be accused of not helping 'them'.

But on a humaritarian ground, if the government sector does not abord them, then what will they become? thieves? robbers? beggers? Mat-rampits? rapists?...more social problems.

The root of the problem is cronism mindset of the UMNO government and the degrading standard of local government universities.

Now we go back to the chicken-and-egg problem, medicore university professors produce medicore graduates who can't find job... the jobless then becomes teachers later who then produce even more medicore students....the cycle continues and the whole nation is doomed under UMNO!

Anonymous said...

Jikalau kita mengundi dengan penuh ikhlas dan kebenaran dan kita melihat dengan mata yang terbuka dan pemikiran yang tulus, kita akan tentu mengundi parti 2 pembangkang yang telah begitu lama di 'fitnahkan' dari kedudukan yang harus mereka duduki!


Hidup parti2 pembangkang! Bersatu parti pembangkang untuk kebenaran, keadilan dan kepentingan negara dan rakyat!

Hidup Tony Pua dan teruskan perjuangan mu ke arah kebenaran

Unknown said...

First the government is pushing hard for more Malays to be given education at tertiary. Now the government being the biggest employer is facing the problem of absorbing all the grads produced by them.