THE NEED FOR POSITIVE STEPS TO POLISH UP IMAGE                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
SOMETIME ago the Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia                                                                                        
launched his book on the civil service i.e. a compilation of                                                                                          
his speeches made throughout the country. He has been one of                                                                                          
the more dynamic Chief Secretaries, aiming to instil good work                                                                                        
ethics, productivity and excellence in the civil service.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
One agency that looks into this matter is Mampu (Malaysian                                                                                            
Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit) but                                                                                        
the many steps taken by it seem to get engulfed by the huge                                                                                           
spread of government agencies and departments.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
A friend of the writer's takes his mother to the government                                                                                           
clinic in Jalan Puchong at 12.00 noon on a Saturday. He was                                                                                           
rudely told to come on Monday as Saturday was their "washing                                                                                     
day".                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Shouldn't these people know better, than to come on a washing                                                                                         
day?                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
A colleague wanted to register a company at the ROC.  His                                                                                             
staff had to make a total of sev en trips before his forms                                                                                            
were accepted.                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
On the first occasion, it was because he had used liquid paper                                                                                        
to cover a mistake he had made. The second time, it was the                                                                                           
signature that was not signed in the exact space. Thirdly, he                                                                                         
had written the whole address as he had at the top of the                                                                                             
form, (the address is asked for in two places: he should have                                                                                         
written "seperti di-atas" in the second instance). The fourth                                                                               
time, the ROC wanted to know which of the partners had a                                                                                              
bigger share when they had already stated that it was a 50/50                                                                                         
partnership.  On the fifth trip he was told that the address                                                                                          
should be in one line; never mind the short space.  The sixth                                                                                         
trip drew the comment that IC was not clear. The last journey                                                                                         
was because the Chinese New Year holidays had caused a "time"                                                                               
problem. A new date had to be given to check for the name,                                                                                            
etc.                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
All this meant that new forms had to be filled for every                                                                                              
change. There were different people at the counter. Of course,                                                                                        
it would have been difficult for them to tell of all the                                                                                              
changes at one go.                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Was there something that my friend did not see?                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Should not the public know the specific time to make payments,                                                                                        
visit the clinic or fill a form? Who is to be blamed? Having                                                                                          
been a civil servant for more than 23 years and having                                                                                                
witnessed many a good intention wither away, the writer raises                                                                                        
a few questions.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Are the administrators practising MBWA (Management by Walking                                                                                         
About)?  Do they know what is happening on their own turf or                                                                                          
are they busy attending meetings? Are the bosses being                                                                                                
transferred too often?                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Listening to the Chief Secretary's speech, a few of the                                                                                               
writer's friends commented that he spoke like a corporate head                                                                                        
(which he is-although a very big one). What was impressive was                                                                                        
the fact that he knew what was happening, what needs to happen                                                                                        
and what should be done to make it happen. While admitting and                                                                                        
giving no excuses for some of the flaws, he sees a need to                                                                                            
take positive steps and work at them relentlessly, going for                                                                                          
the "mind" as a priority.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
These are indeed good moves. Hopefully, the civil servants                                                                                            
will think of the private sectors as their partners, with whom                                                                                        
they would work towards making Malaysia a developed country.                                                                                          
They should view their customers as their "bread and butter",                                                                               
the reason for their existence.  See things with a new                                                                                                
"mind-set" (conserving energy as the Japanese do), striving                                                                                 
for the optimal use of resources-theirs and other people's.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
All these coupled with the right frame of mind would take the                                                                                         
800,000-odd civil servants a long way towards 2020.-By . HADI                                                                                         
ABDULLAH