Dennis backs call to reduce civil service staff
However, an in depth study must be carried out first covering ministry to ministry, department to department, urban to rural office setting and others. This will enable us to see details of the issue or which ministry is considered overstaffed.
MIRI: Trimming down the civil service will probably reduce government expenditure, opined Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau.
Dennis was referring to a recent suggestion by former Treasury secretary- general Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim for the government to cut down the number of civil servants in the country to help ease the government’s financial burden.
He said he respected Mohd Sheriff for sharing his view, pointing out that having been a long serving officer in the government, Mohd Sheriff must have seen many things personally.
“However, an in depth study must be carried out first covering ministry to ministry, department to department, urban to rural office setting and others. This will enable us to see details of the issue or which ministry is considered over-staffed.
“From corporate management point of view, you operate based on income versus expenditure equal to profit. Which means you must operate based on your capability to keep your operating expenses below your income to survive and this could only happen if you could utilise all resources you have including staff numbers,” he said of Mohd Sheriff’s suggestion.
However, Dennis added, unfortunately the government does not operate as such.
“This is because we operate on the basis of serving the rakyat, a practice we have been doing since we formed our own government.
“My view is for the government to look at the proposal to trim down our government staffing seriously as we are now into a new era where work is mostly being taken over by the advancement of modern technology.
“I am not saying to trim just for the sake of trimming but more for the government to embrace modern style of management,” he pointed out.
Dennis believes the government should continue to outsource government jobs and continue to be the facilitator.
“This will ensure cost remains in control and work could be completed in stipulated time,” he said, adding that multi-tasking for certain non- critical jobs should be encouraged among the civil servants just as what is practised by corporate bodies.
On the other hand, PAS Sarawak Youth leader Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo said cutting down the civil service staff should only be done after all other measures of reducing the cost of government operations are implemented.
At the same time, he added, the government must also take steps to review the salaries of civil servants, starting from the Public Service Key Post (Jusa), politically appointed officials and ministers, which he believes will result in a significant reduction in government operating cost.
Mohammad Arifiriazul also suggested that ministers, starting from the Prime Minister, voluntarily reduce their allowances.
“After these steps are taken, only then can the government do the reduction of civil servants (downsizing exercise) because measures to reduce the number of civil servants will directly impact the micro- economy and purchasing power in Malaysia will be reduced,” he opined.
According to Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, there is one civil servant to every 19.37 people in the country.
The bloated civil service of 1.6 million has caused government expenditure to rise yearly and despite the fact that salaries and pensions to civil servants continue to soar, the government has no plans to reduce the number of civil servants, said Johari.
Dennis Ngau, Telang Usan assemblyman