Civil service needs policing

THE Special Commission to Study the Civil Service Transformation (SKMTPA) set about doing its job by having feedback sessions from the public and civil servants themselves.

The commission was formed last year after the pay revision package for civil servants was drowned by critics from the civil service union.

No doubt the formation of the commission is a step in the right direction.

An excellent civil service is a prerequisite to achieving developed nation status.

Thus, there is little time left to formulate policies and subsequently implement them so that service delivery is achieved at an optimum level as desired by the citizens.

One area of civil service transformation is to bring forth and enhance accountability in terms of performance and service delivery.

Despite contrary opinion, the best and optimum pathway to bring about such values is to create negative consequences for non-performance.

This then calls for punitive action against civil servants.

No doubt there are in place tools in the civil service establishment to enable such action to be taken.

But the relevant authorities are either too slow or indifferent to undertake such action.

Such reluctance has been observed by the MACC in a recent report, which lamented the indifferent action by heads of departments as an impediment towards the fight against corruption.

Thus there is a dire need for an external party to institute and monitor non-performance and execute the necessary punitive action to compel accountability and subsequently discourage repeating it.

One institution that can undertake such a task is the Public Complains Bureau (PCB) under the Prime Minister’s Department.

The PCB has been in the forefront in the transformation process.

It has undertaken various programmes to upgrade service accountability through management and monitoring of public complaints.

As such, this agency is well placed to undertake such an effort.

The civil service needs a “policeman” to overcome its shortcomings, including accountability.

The military has the Military Police to maintain law and order in the force, so why can’t the civil service have its own ‘police force’? Institution of order and respect for rules are necessary for service transformation.

Thus it’s imperative to equip the PCB with powers to enable it to further complement the transformation process.

Let there be a ‘Fear Factor’ in the transformation to fuel this sense of urgency and accountability. R. MARSHALL THEAGARAJAH Johor Baru