Federation concerned by lack of Chinese joining civil service

KUCHING: The Federation of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Division Chinese Associations is concerned by the declining number of Chinese joining the civil service.

Federation president Datuk Richard Wee said in the past, members of the Chinese community would apply to be civil servants.

“Way back in the 70s and 80s, many Chinese joined the public service as these jobs were considered the ‘iron rice bowl’ – a Chinese term that refers to an occupation with guaranteed job security including steady income and benefits.

“But after this batch of Chinese civil servants retire, there are less and less young Chinese joining the public service,” he said during the talk ‘Tips and Guidelines on Entering Public Services’ yesterday.

According to him, one of the reasons very few non-Bumiputera are working in the public sector is because the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issued by Chinese independent schools was not recognised.

He pointed out that thanks to former Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, the state now recognises the UEC, a move that should enable more Chinese to join the civil service.

“Sad to say, there is only one successful UEC holder working as a government servant since the recognition of the certificate about two years ago,” he added.

As such, Wee said the federation believes the poor response is due to a lack of information and misconception about the civil service.

Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian officiated at the event organised by the federation’s public relations section.

The speakers at the talk were Public Services Commission (PSC) Sarawak secretary Matthew Dominic Barin and Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu) deputy director Cornelia Wong.