Don’t obey BLINDLY It i s wrong for a government officer to carry out an instruction to commit a crime, such as the concealing of criminal evidence.”
PUTRAJAYA: Civil servants, as well as military and police personnel, should not be so blindly loyal to the government to the point they are willing to break the law if asked to.
In stressing this yesterday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said government officers who find their instructions are clearly wrong or criminal in nature, should not comply with those orders.
“If, as the prime minister, I order you to kill someone, should you do it? There’s a difference between an i nstruction i n accordance with certain policies and an order to commit a crime,” he said.
He said it is wrong for a government officer to carry out an instruction to commit a crime, such as the concealing of criminal evidence.
“You don’t have to blindly follow all
orders ... just those that are in accordance with government policies,” he said at a town hall session for about 3,500 administrative and diplomatic officers here.
The session was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Cabinet ministers and the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa.
Mahathir, who had introduced the “Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy” slogan in April 1982 as a national policy when he was prime minister the first time, warned there would be no compromise for government leaders and officers found involved in corruption.
Outlining these three values, he said “clean” meant free from corruption, “efficient” meant being skillful and having the ability to do work, and “trustworthy” meant just that, being reliable.
“No pity, no consideration and no coverup. Government leaders, including the prime minister, must set a good example in combating corruption and in declaring their assets,” Bernama quoted him as saying.
In calling on government officials to be “clean, efficient and trustworthy” to ensure the smooth running of the country, he stressed that the slogan is to be practised and not merely for show.
“In the past, when I was the prime minister, there was no problem because I could trust everyone. Now, however, there is instigation from certain quarters.”