Ex-top civil servant makes electoral debut, wants to cut wastage

GE15 | One of the major reasons which motivated former Perak state secretary Zainal Azman Abu Seman to join PKR and become active in politics was the desire to improve the policy implementation process.

According to the Pakatan Harapan Kuala Sepetang candidate, there is a frequent mismatch between crafting and implementing government policies.

Zainal, who hails from Perak, is hoping that he would be in a position to help streamline the process to generate sustainable economic resources for the silver state.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, the 60-year-old retiree, who is making his election debut, said while he has been a PKR member since 2006, he would not allow his political views to interfere with his duties as a civil servant.

“I joined in 2006 but only became active after I retired. Therefore, when I meet other PKR members during the campaign, many of them think I am a new member.

“As a professional government staff, we always performed our duties beyond politics. The proof is in my performance report over the years. I gained over 90 percent marks.

“This shows my political views never affected my duties,” he said.

Zainal conceded that there are civil servants who would follow the minister’s instructions to the letter, and do it without question. He said decisions concerning policies must be made in a prudent manner but this was not practised throughout the government, resulting in wastage.

“We know that policy-making heavily relies on the ministers’ political decisions. There are times when civil servants give good advice but the decision is made during the cabinet meeting, which was a bunch of politicians.

“Therefore, there is a mismatch in the policy decision as the data, research, and advice of civil servants are not reflected in the policies implemented due to political considerations.

“So I thought that if I became active in politics, I would be able to strike a balance and ensure that policies are made and implemented in the proper manner.

“I would apply the values of good governance to politics. I believe this would help streamline the management and administration of a government,” he added.

Zainal cited the Auditor-General’s Report to underscore the financial repercussions of the mismatch between enacting and implementing policies.

“To me, the financial losses not only cost taxpayers but also affects civil servants’ morale.

“When civil servants do their best to advise and facilitate the duties of the government and ministers, certain parties would always put their interest above the nation and people, resulting in losses and wastage.

“I hope that by having leaders with integrity, we would be able to better manage the country’s resources,” he added.

Zainal has more than three decades of experience under his belt and his last position was deputy director-general of the Public Service Department.

He had also served as the secretary-general of the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry and in various senior-level positions in the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) as well as the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry.

Meanwhile, Zainal was coy when asked if he was offered to be Harapan’s Perak menteri besar candidate, saying: “I think we, myself included, have to win first. If I win, then you can ask me again.”

Malaysiakini previously reported that Zainal is the MB candidate for Harapan and the news was confirmed by PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.

However, other PKR leaders, including its president Anwar Ibrahim, said the issue has not been discussed yet.

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