Malaysian policy changes and new initiatives soon

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/07/policy-changes-and-new-initiatives-soon-dr-m-shift-includes-ensuring-top-civil-servants-know-and-spe/ 

PUTRAJAYA: Signalling a major policy change over defence and administrative issues, the Prime Minister has outlined several initiatives that the Government will undertake from now on.

For starters, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad does not want warships on either the Straits of Malacca or the South China Sea.

In doing so, Dr Mahathir has sent a strong message to superpo­wers, such as the United States and China, that Malaysia wish to remain neutral over their desire to control the region.

To ensure better spending of public funds, he has enlisted the help of former auditor-general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang to head a high-level committee to look into the procurement of government supplies, starting with the Defence Ministry.

In a move to improve the running of the public sector, Dr Mahathir said top civil servants would have to sit for an English competency test, signalling a major initiative in pushing for the language to be part of the civil administration.

“We consider English a very important language and it must be mastered by all high-ranking civil servants. These top officers must have a strong command of English because they always have to deal with foreigners,” Dr Mahathir said at a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Instantly, former civil servants lauded the move, as many felt that government officers today were less proficient in English and as such, could not work as well as the seniors before them.

Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, for instance, said that it was important for civil servants at all levels to master the English language.

“It’s a good idea and it’s about time that this was introduced. Thailand and Vietnam are catching up very fast and we don’t want to be left behind,” said Dr Rebecca.

The former International Trade and Industry Ministry secretary-general said Miti staff in particular had to undergo English language training as the ministry was involved in a lot of international work, drafting agreements and statements that required a high level of proficiency in the language.

Former Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to United Nations Tan Sri Hasmy Agam concurred.

“It’s a fantastic idea. In this globalised age, we have to be proficient in English at all levels.

“If you are a civil servant and you are not proficient in English, you can’t participate much at the international level,” he said.

Hasmy said apart from top civil servants, proficiency in English should also be emphasised in schools and universities as well.

“If Malaysia is aspiring to join the ranks of developed countries, we have to start now.

“A Malaysian would be more patriotic if he or she can communicate in international languages, in this case English, when representing the country’s interests abroad.

“Negotiations in diplomacy, trade, labour – you have to negotiate in English,” he added.

Both Dr Rebecca and Hasmy said that the younger generation of civil servants were less proficient in English due to different mediums used in schools.

“We have to do it (English language training) for the younger ones coming into the service because they went through a Malay-medium education,” said Dr Rebecca.

Related stories:

First Parliament session on July 16

PM: Presence of warships in area sending wrong signal
New Bank Negara head in the works
Ambrin out of retirement to head panel on governance
RM450 duit Raya incentive for Felda and Felcra settlers
Zeti keeps mum on Muhammad’s resignation

Related posts:

Another government department, seriously? Beef up the existing enforcement agencies !

 

RM40mil siphoned off from the Malaysian Human Resources, Skills Development Fund Corp !

Huge Civil Service Size, Attractive Emoluments and Benefits are costing Malaysia !

Huge Civil Service Size, Attractive Emoluments and Benefits are costing Malaysia ! 

Prized job: While long-term security like the pension scheme free healthcare and easy loans have been among the perks of joining the ...
 

Bloated civil sevice in Malaysia must cut down the size and salaries 

 

Call on the Government to downsize the country’s bloated civil service

 

Corruptions, Conflict of interests, politicians and Malaysian bloated civil service

Ministers may face conflict of interest, says Tunku Abdul Aziz:  "If you have no power, you cannot abuse it. Civil servants hav...

Time to take fight against graft to the top, say group

 

Engineer vs Doctor

 

Arrest decline in productivity and competitiveness in Malaysia

 

Huge Civil Service Size, Attractive Emoluments and Benefits are costing Malaysia !

 

Let us do more against graft, bring corrupt culprits to court fast !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah_State_Water_Department_corruption_probe

BY now, it’s clear that many ordinary Malaysians have the perception that corruption in this country has degenerated into a hugely disturbing situation.

To many of us, rightly or wrongly, corruption has become an entrenched culture involving many in the political and government circle.

But who would have suspected that a seemingly innocent department like the Sabah Water Department could end up being investigated for such a staggering amount of money, in what is now known as our very own Watergate scandal.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized RM114mil worth of assets – RM53.7mil in cold cash stashed in the houses and offices of two senior Sabah Water Department officials on Oct 4.

Many of the department’s staff, apart from the top two officials, are also being investigated for alleged abuse of power and money laundering linked to contracts for RM3.3bil federal-funded projects channelled to the department since 2010.

MACC has traced RM30mil stashed in foreign banks and another RM30mil in 127 land titles for housing, agriculture and commercial purposes.

That’s not all. MACC also seized nine vehicles worth RM2.7mil, an assortment of jewellery worth RM3.64mil and designer handbags with a value of RM500,000.

To many Malaysians, when the topic is corruption, they would think of the police, customs, immigration, council enforcement officers and authorities with the power to arrest someone, to issue approvals or permits.

These authorities have earned such notoriety through mere generalisation or plain prejudice as there are surely many good and honest officials.

And of course, many Malaysians think lowly of high-level politicians, sniggering over their purported wealth even if they have little evidence and information.

The MACC must be commended for its successful investigations into the Sabah Water Department.

It has, in fact, led to loose talk among Sabahans that the MACC need only check the Facebook postings of some staff, even the low ranking ones, of another government department in the state to see the kind of lifestyle led by some of the workers.

There might not be sufficient evidence but the raid on the department will surely encourage more whistle blowers to tip off the MACC.

Malaysia ranked 54 among 168 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2015 with a score of 50 out of 100.

This is a drop from 50 out of 175 countries in the CPI 2014 with a score of 52 out of 100. High scores indicate a less corrupt perception.

Obviously, the 1MDB issue is a major perception issue and has affected the minds of many Malaysians, contributing to the slide in ranking.

In a 2014 news report, it said that the international accounting firm KPMG’s Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Survey 2013 revealed that an overwhelming 90% of business organisations feel that bribery and corruption is necessary to do business in Malaysia at the moment.

Transparency International- Malay­sia’s first ever Malaysian Corruption Barometer (MCB) 2014 recorded that as many as 45% of Malaysians feel political parties are the most corrupt, followed by the police force, then the public and civil servants, the report added.

It is safe to say that such perception among Malaysians have not changed much over the past few years. It has probably gone worse.

There is little doubt that many Malaysians feel, even with the current blitz on corruption, that the actions against the corrupt have not been sufficiently effective.

The tentacles of corruption, to many, has become so prevalent that no sector in government has become immune – that’s the scary perception even if the reality is otherwise.

It has tarnished the image of our institutions and must have affected investors who want to put money in Malaysia, even if we are seen as a country that is business-friendly.

To be fair, much efforts have been taken such as enacting the Whistle Blower’s Act in 2012 and increasing corruption arrests, as well as publishing the names of more than 1,000 corruption offenders on the MACC website.

There has also been a sharp decrease in business licenses and online publication of government contracts.

But one does not need another survey, although the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) has actually carried out one, which showed that a large segment of Malaysians do not believe that enough has been done to combat corruption.

That’s simply because the perception is that actions have only been taken against those at the lower and middle rungs of government.

If the fat cats – or big fishes – are left untouched, it may actually encouraged the bottom to be corrupt as they may think their bosses are dirty anyway, so why shouldn’t they, too, grease their hands to just pay the bills.

It is incredulous that a country like Malaysia, which has becoming more conservatively religious, are not seeing a corresponding decline in corruption.

Our religious leaders, regardless of their faith, seems to be more preoccupied with religious forms and theological aspects, and forgetting that they can be effective tools in the fight against corruption – not just against the takers but givers.

They should spend more time at their sermons, services and prayers to talk about the ills of corruption, among others – and not be too preoccupied with just politics.

More often than not, we hear the open grumbling of businessmen who lament the corrupt practices, which adds to their cost of doing business but if there are no givers, then, there will be no takers.

Never mind, if others want to give.

Let the policeman issue summons instead of offering a bribe to “settle it”.

If we give, why then are we still complaining about dirty cops?

If we do not do something more resolute now, the young will soon see corruption as an acceptable culture.

If we remember, in 2007, the majority of 1,800 university students interviewed felt it was acceptable to give or take bribes.

Surely, this is troubling. Have we come to this level where many of us can no longer differentiate between right and wrong?

It’s time to wake up, don’t let our beloved Malaysia go down the drain.

On The Beat By Wong Chun Wai The Star

Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 27 years in various capacities and roles. He is now the group's managing director/chief executive officer and formerly the group chief editor.

On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.

Related posts:

 Malaysia slides in global Corruption perception index

 Mar 10, 2016 … KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s ranking dropped four places in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) last year. The index, released by …

Ma'sia's skilled labour shortage, engineers not take up challenges, graduates can't solve problems

More trained workers needed to attract new capital investments Yap says manufacturers have to source for high-quality technology from pla...

Why we fail at corporate governance with corrupt officials?

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah_State_Water_Department_corruption_probe   Malaysia still suffers from corporate scandal after ...

Bring corrupt culprits to court fast

MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low recently told the Dewan Rakyat that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission…

Sabah’s watergate scandal unfolds, engineers nabbed, civil service back in vogue 

 Oct 15, 2016 … Sabah’s watergate scandal unfolds, engineers nabbed, civil service back in vogue …. Civil service back in vogue – for the wrong reasons.

  Water fiasco: RM114 million seized from Sabah water officials

https://youtu.be/01stOYgM9x0 It was a record haul by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission – RM114mil seized from two top officer…

No water but officials flush with funds: abuse of power, nepotism, cronyism, bribery and money laundering 

Jabatan Air Negeri Sabah – http://malaysianlogo.blogspot.my/2014/06/jabatan-air-negeri-sabah-sabah.html KOTA KINABALU: Everywhere in Sab…

 

Water theft: 60% of RM3.3bil project allocation stolen by senior officers

  Jabatan Air Negeri – Customer Service How the millions were stolen? 1. Contracts broken down to small packages of RM100,000 ea…

 

Water corruption, an integrity crisis is disruptive, debilitating, damaging and hurting us

Water Corruption | SSWM http://www.sswm.info/content/water-corruption The Star Says: A crisis of integrity and a lesson to be learnt 

Why we fail at corporate governance with corrupt officials?

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah_State_Water_Department_corruption_probe   Malaysia still suffers from corporate scandal after ...

"Chinese dream" speaks to the whole world, offers global inspiration

When President Xi Jinping articulated a vision of prosperity, national rejuvenation and happiness for the people at the UNESCO headquarters in March, he added the best footnote yet to the notion of the "Chinese dream."

No other words about China in recent years have captured the world's attention and imagination as those two have.

The phrase, first mentioned during a speech by Xi two weeks after he was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in November 2012, has been echoed repeatedly by Chinese leaders and is considered a central mission of the new leadership.

The latest reaffirmation came on Sunday, when Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao called on young people to work for the "Chinese dream" to integrate their personal dreams with the bigger dream of the Chinese nation's revival.

Although the country might still be years, if not decades, away from living its dream for real, the Chinese dream has provided global inspiration.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said in January during a visit to Beijing that he admired China for its great achievement of development and that he believed the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation will benefit the whole world as well as the Chinese people.

Asha-Rose Migiro, a former UN deputy secretary-general, also said last year that the "Chinese dream" resonated with the dream of Africa, as China and Africa can achieve common development through common efforts.

This is no accident and not difficult to understand. For one thing, the Chinese dream does not run contrary to the common aspirations worldwide, but is compatible with them.

Peace, prosperity, happiness and social stability, which are the essence of the Chinese dream, are also the most fundamental components of the shared pursuits of people worldwide.

In that sense, people across the world have all dreamt of the "Chinese dream" in their own way. It is no wonder that foreigners understand the notion upon first hearing it.

The Chinese dream also offers huge potential opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit for other countries, both economically and politically.

China's rapid economic growth has produced enormous "bonuses," not only for the Chinese people, but also for the whole world.

According to figures from the National Statistics Bureau, China has topped the list of contributors to the global economy, with up to 19.2 percent of world economic growth coming from China in 2007, compared to only 2.3 percent in 1978.

China is not only the main engine of global economic growth, but also the defender of regional peace and stability.

Unlike certain troublemakers in the region, China has the resolve to create with Asian countries a peaceful and bright future for East Asia and the rest of the continent.

The realization of the Chinese dream does not entail fracturing the dreams of other countries. On the contrary, it helps them to realize their own dreams of peace and prosperity. - Xinhua

Related sources:

• China Voice: 'Chinese dream' offers global inspiration‎

www.nihao-salam.com/news-detail.php?id=NTUyNg

• The Chinese Dream Inspires Our Global Dream - People's ...

China has provided SAP a broad playing field across our lines of business. According to the ...

Related posts:

• China's economy close to overtaking USA in PPP measure this year but China don't read the ranking

China may be poised to overtake the United States as the world's top economy sooner than expected, according to one measure, bu...

Ruling multiracial Malaysia

There’s no need to wonder who should rule in Putrajaya: what’s more important is how they rule.

LEE Kuan Yew got it right. Whether it is Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat in Putrajaya, this country will still be under Malay rule.

So what, this aunty would like to ask?

For this citizen of Chinese descent, it is a given due to our history, racial composition and politics.

To quote Deng Xiaopeng, it doesn’t matter if it is a black or white cat, as long as it can catch the mice.

Similarly, I can accept Malay rule, regardless which side is in power, as long as it provides good government.

But as a voting citizen, I do have my hopes and expectations from my leaders.

You see, I am fine with Malay rule as long as the leaders cherish and respect the Constitution and continue to abide by the provisions in this document and not to tinker with it as they like.

I have no problem with Malay rule as long as those in power upholds Islam’s position as the official religion but will also respect other religions and protect the rights of all Malaysians to practise their faiths without discrimination, harassment or fear.

I am really okay with Malay rule as long as those who rule are not afraid of the past; who understand history should not be reinterpreted to make one community look better than others and who will acknowledge the contributions of other races in the building of this nation.

I will defend a leadership that will not use other races to invoke fear in the Malays by insinuating that these ungrateful interlopers are greedy and grasping and will steal the nation from under them if they are not careful.

I will support leaders who are strong and courageous to stand firm against those who preach hate and divisiveness and punish them appropriately, regardless of who these hate-mongers are.

I will cherish a Malay-led government that is fair to women and believe in gender equality; that will end all laws that continue to discriminate against women and treat them like simple-minded creatures.

I will admire a leadership that recognises the competition is beyond our shores and if we don’t stop bickering among ourselves and trying to frighten each other, our country might be left far behind, even within the region as all our neighbours get their act together and grow from strength to strength.

Hence, I will rejoice to have leaders who embrace meritocracy and will fight to nurture and retain all its talented citizens to benefit our society and nation and give us the edge on the international front.

I am all for a principled government that upholds the rule of law and that means, as defined by thefreedictionary.com, the government exercises “its power in accordance with well-established and clearly written rules, regulations, and legal principles” and “no branch of government is above the law, and no public official may act arbitrarily or unilaterally outside the law”.

In other words, a leadership that enforces laws with fairness, morality and justice.

I will support those in power who believe in educating and empowering its people and not keeping them stupid and poor in order to control them and making them dependent forever.

I will happily live under a leadership that nurtures a thinking society and does not fear dissent or those who challenge its authority through peaceful expressions be it in words, or through art, performances, music and film.

I will cherish a leadership that is inclusive with a consistent message to all, actively promotes true racial accommodation and acceptance and not play lip service to mere tolerance.

That is simply intolerable.

I will be in awe of leaders who can articulate and defend their policies by speaking with intelligence, backed up with quality research, facts and figures, and not insult the intelligence of others, especially those who question them.

And I can cheer them on proudly when they promote or defend Malaysia’s interests abroad because they can speak in crisp, clear English with authority, knowledgeably and wittily.

I will respect leaders who understand that becoming Yang Berhormats does not automatically elevate them to a status that demands obeisance from others.

Rather, they understand they are the people’s servants and respect must be earned.

I will honour a government that is led by leaders who are morally clean and upright, with zero tolerance for corruption and will not use underhanded means to enrich themselves and to keep themselves in power.

I am all for Malay rule as long as my leaders are committed to and believe in a multiracial, multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysia and want to keep it this way.

SO AUNTY, SO WHAT? BY JUNE H.L.WONG contributed to this post:

> Aunty hopes August, being our Merdeka month, will be a good time to remember our shared history. Feedback to junewong@thestar.com.my or tweet #JuneHLWong. The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own. 

Related post:

Rebooting the history of Chinese contributions to Malaysia -

Raising productivity growth

I REFER to the report “Malaysians lag in productivity” (see the related posts below). The recent findings by the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC) shows that our worker productivity levels, productivity growth and productivity value are lower than several leading industrialised economies and even some developing countries in our region.

That’s serious and calls for a more specific analysis of the situation to identify the real causes and institute urgent remedial measures involving all factors that influence productivity. MPC is of the view that even with our 2011 productivity growth rate of 4.55%, we are still on track to become a high-income nation by 2020.

It must, however, be understood that when any single factor of productivity or total factor productivity is low, economic growth will not be sustainable over the long-term and will instead decline and with it bring down both employment and incomes.

Some reasons have been cited for our low worker productivity levels, such as workers who prolong working time to perform a job thus increasing costs, poor working conditions, low-level of worker motivation and lack of incentives, among others.

As the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and the SME Corp have pointed out, a major factor that keeps worker productivity levels low is the massive hiring and continuing dependence on low-skilled, especially foreign, workers, who make up a fifth to a third, or even more, of the workforce in various industries.

Also, the use of low, or even medium, level technology and the preponderance of low value-added industries dominating the economy, contribute to low worker productivity levels.

Clearly, in order to boost overall productivity levels, there is an urgent need to pursue quality growth by investing in and providing incentives for:

1. > Upgrading skills;
2. > Increasing local worker employment levels;
3. > Encouraging high value-added industries in all sectors of the economy; and,
4. > Tightening foreign worker policies.

Other measures should include increased partnerships with leading global companies, developing the talents and skills needed to support such businesses, promoting high-end local enterprises and investing in a strong 21st century education system.

While rewarding employees through increases in wages and benefits might please them, it should never be done on an adhoc basis nor as a mere handout exercise for whatever reason.

If rewards are to serve as incentives to increase productivity levels, such benefits must be for better performance that is measurable, and that leads to higher level and quality of output and gains.

Underlying the need to raise productivity growth and worker productivity levels is the importance of cooperation between the management or employers and workers in fostering a conducive working environment and increasing the quantum and value of goods produced or services delivered.

There has to be genuine scope for ongoing mutual dialogue among these “social partners” that promotes consensus-building and the democratic involvement of those with vital stakes in raising performance, productivity, profitability and personal rewards.

RUEBEN DUDLEY Former United Nations / ILO Regional Deputy Director for Asia & the Pacific

Related posts:
Malaysians lag in productivity 

Performance culture lacking, Malaysian workers!

Are we competent with competencies?