Make civil service more racially balanced, Teresa urges govt
PETALING JAYA: DAP MP Teresa Kok has urged Putrajaya to work on making the civil service more racially balanced to reflect the spirit of prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s “Keluarga Malaysia” motto. She said the civil service has been dominated by the Malays since the introduction of the New Economic…
PETALING JAYA: DAP MP Teresa Kok has urged Putrajaya to work on making the civil service more racially balanced to reflect the spirit of prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s “Keluarga Malaysia” motto.
She said the civil service has been dominated by the Malays since the introduction of the New Economic Policy in 1970, with few non-Malays applying to join the public service.
The Seputeh MP said the low salary structure and lack of opportunities for career advancement were among the key factors deterring non-Bumiputeras from joining the civil service.
“More equal recruitment and career advancement would gradually increase the number of non-Malays applying. The race-based policy in civil servant recruitment and promotion has made many talents reluctant to apply to join the civil service.
“A civil service must truly be representative of all races as it will be more responsive in terms of their needs and wishes, as civil servants importantly affect both public policy and its implementation,” she said in a statement.
The former minister noted that race should not be the determining factor when promoting or hiring civil servants.
Shee said there must be political will from the government to attract more non-Bumiputeras to join the civil service.
Special functions minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad had informed the Dewan Rakyat that about 90% of the 1.2 million civil servants were Bumiputeras. He had said Putrajaya did not impose any quota based on race or ethnicity for the civil service intake.
Latiff said of the total number, 987,333 comprised Malays, 73,190 Chinese, 60,084 Sarawak Bumiputeras, 59,978 Sabah Bumiputeras, 47,751 Indians, 2,417 Orang Asli and 8,698 others.
As for the top posts (super scale) above the Grade 56 category, 3,300 are Malays, 386 Chinese, 240 Indians, 74 Sabah Bumiputeras, 53 Sarawak Bumiputeras, three Orang Asli and 42 others.
He maintained that the Public Services Commission’s recruitment was based on merit and competency. — Free Malaysia Today