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Selangor must break civil service's 'iron cage'
Published:  Sep 1, 2011 8:59 AM
Updated: 1:23 AM

vox populi small thumbnail 'To those who think these recalcitrant civil servants should be sacked, the reality is very different. Just check the General Orders, you will know.'

Wikileaks: Recalcitrant civil servants in Pakatan's S'gor

Cala: After benefitting five decades from the rule of Umno-led BN regime, the current set of bureaucrats can no longer detach itself away from the former's jaws.

For pure economic consideration this set of bureaucrats will sell their souls in return for employment and promotion.

Max Weber used the term "iron cage" to describe the constraints placed on bureaucrats to follow established practices. Weber also described the bureaucratisation of social order as "the polar night of icy darkness".

Closer home, ex-University Malaya professor KS Jomo argued that under NEP (New Economic Policy), our bureaucrats have their own distinctive features as a class of its own. Wherever opportunities permit, they will not fail to seize them for personal gains.

In fact, they are a portent force to be reckoned with. Selangor state government's experience with them is a case in point.

Who Is That Masked Man?: Thank you, Wikileaks for verifying what we all know for the longest time. In this way, coming from a third party source, many of the rakyat can now believe the true face of the BN government.

I look forward to more "leaks" so that the rakyat may know the truth, regardless of political patronage. We want transparency, not just from BN but also from Pakatan Rakyat when they take over the federal government.

Anonymous_4031: While Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim wields a lot of power, he wants to appear "nice" to everybody. Though it is a good policy to be "nice" with every civil servant and with the public, there is one area where he must put his foot down - in executing his policies.

Anybody who is defiant should be replaced or sacked, no question asked. A good leader must do something unpleasant at times. Otherwise how is he going to carry out his programmes?

Some civil servants may be BN-friendly, but a change of government means a change of policy. Civil servants must be "obedient servants". Their job is to carry out instruction, whoever is the employer. Those who are stubborn should be dismissed.

1Mata: The citizens know very well of such treatments to Pakatan by those recalcitrant staff. When Pakatan takes over Putrajaya, there will be even greater challenge ahead.

The Pakatan government needs to be tough and decisive when the required decision to axe those with such poor and pro-BN attitudes. Start to prepare the list of those recalcitrant staff so that when time comes, there is no more need to wait.

The Selangor state government has done good work so far inspite of the hard times of dealing with these little Napoleons.

Malaysiawatch4.blogspot: The MB should have sacked a few heads who were the most recalcitrant or placed them in cold storage. Of course, do this after repeated incidents of gross negligence or defying the state authorities, and only after a proper inquiry.

Anonymous_3f7d: To all those who think these recalcitrant civil servants should be sacked, the reality is very different. Just check the General Orders binding their terms of service, and you'll know.

Anonymous: Do we have to remind the civil servants that it is the rakyat who pay their salaries, not BN or Umno.

Onyourtoes: Talking about parallel structures/governments, I think we have too many already.

To safeguard our coasts, we have APMM (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency), marine police, marine customs, Jabatan Laut and Immigration, yet our borders are porous, with thousands of migrants, legal and illegal, moving in and out without much hindrance or difficulty.

We have not even constructed one kilometre of Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT track, yet we already have MRT Co, Syarikat Prasarana, Pemandu, and Spad (Land Public Transport Commission).

We create parallel structures for political reasons; we create parallel structures to create confusion and to diffuse responsibility so that everyone involved can be inefficient and irresponsible.

If we have a structure that is not working, we do not bother try to find out why and how to make it work. We create a new one, leaving the old to continue to exist.

We have a process that is not efficient, we set up one-stop agency but eventually that agency becomes a centre where everything comes to the complete stop. We set up flying squads to monitor implementation, but those flying squads eventually become part of bureaucracy.

We are people who can't hold more than two variables in our moronic heads. We always think there is a simple solution to a complex problem, and that simple solution is another agency, another one-stop centre, another flying squad.

Chuath: I agree that some government bodies think that Umno is their pay master. Once, I complained about the clogged drains and rubbish around Kampung Kerinchi, and the DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) officer who came to see me to check on my complains, which was commendable, grumbled that although the government did a lot for us, we voted for opposition Nurul Izzah Anwar in the Lembah Pantai constituency, and in fact he told me to contact the contractor myself.

I told him that we pay taxes and DBKL was responsible and I did not care who was his sub-contractor, but he should get the job done properly.

Tuah PJ: Set KPIs (Key Performance Indicator), make them sign new 'Aku Janji', appraise them and then sack. Simple.

I am willing to resign from a GLC (government-linked company) to help out the Selangor Pakatan government if they want me.

 


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