Federation to work with Sarawak govt to boost Chinese representation in civil service
KUCHING: The Federation of Chinese Associations Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions is looking to work together with the Sarawak government to boost the number of Chinese representation in the Sarawak civil service.
Its president Dato Richard Wee said there is still a lack of Chinese representation in the state civil service – a ‘ long- standing phenomenon’ that is happening throughout the country.
“We understand that the number of Chinese entering the civil service is still very small and we do acknowledge that there are various factors which may have contributed to this shortcoming,” he said at the federation’s Chinese New Year cum 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner which was graced by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas at a leading hotel here on Sunday.
While efforts from the government can be further improved in this respect, he acknowledged that the Chinese community must also shoulder its collective responsibility as well.
“The state government’s recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate ( UEC) as a qualification entry to the state civil service has eased the threshold for entry and it is a boost and encouragement for all aspiring applicants.
“On our part, it is our duty and responsibility to encourage our younger generation to consider advancing their career in joining our state civil service so that they can feel proud to be participating in the journey of nation building of Sarawak,” he emphasised.
He thus proposed that the Federation of Chinese Associations Kuching, Samarahan and Serian Divisions work together with the state government to conduct forums, talks, seminars and roadshows at schools, universities and within the Chinese community to educate and encourage more participation of students and young graduates toward achieving this goal.
“It is our hope that with these efforts, we will be able to achieve the long-term objectives of a more balanced composition of the demography of Sarawak in our state civil service.”
Wee also shared that the strong sentiment among most Sarawakians is that given sufficient financial resources, the people are fully capable of looking after themselves and managing the state’s own affairs.
“As Sarawakians, we value promises made and kept. We are tired of politicians making intellectually dishonest statements and wilful ignorant remarks for their own political mileage.
“We would rather pay more attention to the government’s positive commitment and fulfilment of pledges and promises to assess the performances of our leaders and politicians.”
He emphasised that if there were mistakes made by past leaders, the people must be brave enough to admit and have the courage to acknowledge those mistakes and treat them as lessons learned.
“We need to put all that behind us and move forward with optimism to rectify and restore all the rights and interests due to us,” he said and called on Sarawakians from all sides of the political divide, irrespective of political affiliation, to put aside all the differences and collectively fight for the restoration of the rights and interests of Sarawak.
He also urged both state and federal governments as well as aspiring politicians to work towards the people’s strong desire and passionate dreams for a strong and robust economy, a just and fair society, a better life for all and a better hope for the future of Sarawak and all Sarawakians.
Also present during the dinner were Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, China Consul General in Kuching Cheng Guangzhong and event organising chairperson Tan Cho Yian.