Don’t serve blindly, PM tells civil servants
PUTRAJAYA: The civil service should serve whoever is the government of the day but this should never be done blindly, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Speaking to some 3,500 administrative and diplomatic services (PTD) officers, the Prime Minister said there was a difference between being loyal to the Government and turning a blind eye towards wrongdoings.
“The police, the army and the PTD officers are required to serve the government of the day. But that doesn’t mean you are loyal to the extent that you would commit or be complicit in crime.
“If I, as the Prime Minister, ask you to murder someone. Do you do it?
“PTD officers carry out what is ordered by the government. But if an officer is ordered to hide evidence of crime and they do as they are told, then that is wrong,” said Dr Mahathir during a townhall meeting organised by the National Institute of Public Administration here yesterday.
Dr Mahathir gave a hypothetical example in which PTD officers were asked to campaign for a political party during an election.
“If you are asked to go out and campaign for a political party, you should say no. Sure, you might be punished by your superiors. But if all officers team up and refuse, who can they punish?” he said.
Civil servants, said Dr Mahathir, should also emulate the Japanese culture of shame, in which the Japanese often strived hard not to do wrong or fail in their tasks.
“When the Japanese know they
have done something wrong, they become ashamed of themselves – to the point they would commit harakiri or suicide.
“Of course, I do not want you to commit harakiri but do have a sense of feeling ashamed.
“When the Japanese produce something, they always ensure that it is of high quality because they would be ashamed if it is not. This is something we could learn from,” he said.
The government, vowed Dr Mahathir, would not tolerate cor-
ruption, adding that civil servants found to be corrupt would be axed without consideration.
“I have warned government leaders not to be involved in corruption. In China, they would be shot dead. I would love to do that too but I cannot,” he said, triggering laughter from the audience.
Dr Mahathir said all officials, including himself as the Prime Minister, must declare their assets to set an example for others.
He also agreed to a suggestion that the official sign-off message for
government letters “Saya yang menurut perintah” (I who am following orders) be changed to “Saya yang menjalankan amanah” (I who am carrying out the trust).
“Yes, we can change that. ‘ Saya yang menurut perintah’ sounds like you would carry out any order given to you, even if it is wrong,” he said.
Also present during the townhall meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa and other Cabinet ministers.