The people do not only expect services but prompt and efficient services from the civil service as they move forward and become more enlightened to become members of a developed society by the year 2020 and beyond. Generally, they are becoming more conscious of their rights and privileges as Malaysians of Anak Sarawak and nurturing high hopes, aspirations and ambitions to achieve a much higher level of progress in the next decade.
Obviously, the transformation in the attitude of the people necessitates members of the civil service in the development administration to make conscientious efforts to build up their capability to cope up with the expanding challenges ahead. For example, every department is expected to think how they can hasten the pace of the development and spend their expenditure efficiently according to the budget.
The Federal Government, recognizing the fact that a lot of the implementation of development projects cannot meet the expectation of the people, is in the process of implementing the Government Transformation Plan (GTP). It takes cognizance of the fact that the implementation of some of the development programs does not happen as quickly as what the people want them to be.
The GTP may entail drastic change as it cannot be made in tit bits anymore in order to make the national level administration realizes the necessity to become result orientation and not just monitoring how much money is being spent from time to time. The approach of results orientation requires feed back that demands members of the civil service to be observant in detecting changes in the way people want to interact with the government on the ground. Understandably, the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) that has been launched by the Prime Minister, Dato Seri Haji Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak, is the beginning of a bigger thing for the Civil Service both at the Federal and State levels towards the year 2020 and beyond.
Undoubtedly, the Prime Minister is very serious in trying to tackle problems that have become bigger because the adjustments that have been undertaken have not moved in accordance with the expectations of the people. Basically the government, through the civil service, must find ways to overcome problems like changing the methods by which to grapple with the problems of change in the country.
But thanks to all the correct orientations in the State civil service, the transformation plan in Sarawak should be less heavy than what it should be. For example, the State civil service has adopted many work processes, pursued changes in the working systems, the adoption of latest technology and introduction of other measures to enable members to work with greater efficiency. Besides, the civil service has also introduced some measures by which members can benchmark their success in adopting some the best management practices in the services of the people and country. In this respect, members of the civil service, who have been encouraged to attend courses, seminars and workshops on modern administrative and management practices organized locally by management gurus from America, Japan and other countries, could become more amiable in adopting the best world practices that can suit local situation. Basically, the civil service must remain dynamic to be able to adjust to greater changes harmoniously with the aspirations of the people to adopt new ways of living in the future. Hence, members must continue to arm themselves with lots of options in instituting changes to ensure that they will be more realistic and efficient in doing so.
Understandably, the process of transformation has been going on quite well in the State Civil Service. All the recognitions and awards that have been received by some departments and agencies speak very well of all the changes that in the civil service. For example, the Quality Control Circle (QCC) is being replaced with Innovation and Creativity Circle (ICC) with the emphasis on opening the minds of civil servants and exposing their organizations to changes. All the people, who have been involved in this transformation, deserve to be congratulated. However, there is no such thing as stopping or arriving at a destination in the process of transforming the civil service. It has to move on all the time to cope with changes and meet the rising expectation of the people. Generally, members of the civil service have been able to expedite the administrative processes by adopting new work processes. This is uniquely Sarawak way to cope up with changes and increases in the volume of work and develop correct attitude in facing the challenges in the world market. Sarawak is fortunate to have started with the development of the economy through timber and oil industries to enable it to gain some experiences in the world market, which, among other things, demands a very high standard of efficiency in the management systems.
Quite obviously the State Civil Service has already attained a certain level of success in preparing members to face the challenges of the globalize market. The Civil service, thanks to the co-operation and hard works of leaders, has been able to commence a process to put Sarawak in the position to compete in the world economy. The emphasis, since the end of the 80s and early 90s, was to computerize systems in the State civil service. Members were encouraged to use of computer in their works in order to increase productivity without necessarily recruiting more officers as had been the practice in the past. Then it was not easy without the expertise in ICT. Therefore, relevant officers had to be tasked to study and develop ICT infrastructure for their respective departments or agencies. World recognition
Understandably, the State Government decided that priority must be given to Land and Survey department to develop its ICT system. The department deserves our congratulation for The success of its ICT system LASIS or Land and Survey Information system has already won world recognition. As most of development projects require land, LASIS plays very important roles in getting the land ready for various agencies to expedite the implementation of their projects.
The applications for land for projects in the forms of land acquisition and administration and changes in rights of land utilization can be processed systematically and expeditiously. Otherwise, if the applications were to be processed manually without LASIS that came about with the successful transformation of Land and Survey department, most of the projects could be stalled or abandoned. Besides, efforts were also made to re-orientate SEDC to move closer to the people taking cognizance of changes in requests for development from one of asking for minor projects to those of participating in the process of development. They had already shown their interests to exploit opportunities that were being created in the development of the economy to improve their livelihood.
Hence, SEDC has to change its approach from one of trying to meet requests of the people for assistance to that of preparing them to participate in the development of the economy through their own initiatives and efforts. In other words, the concept of participation in the process of development has to be upgraded from one of being passive to that of becoming more positive. It entails changes in the mentality and attitude of both the officers of the corporation and the people as their clients. The State Government, after taking into consideration the capacity of JKR in handling multiple increases in the volume of workload, also decided to privatize some of its functions. The government could no longer rely mainly on the capacity of JKR, which had been tasked to build roads, bridges, public buildings and implement other projects. Generally, the roles and functions of the department had to be reorganized in order to cope, for example, with increases in the volume of workload and growing sophistication in the contract and tender system. The state has to mobilize and use the strength and capacity of the private sector to accelerate the pace of development.
Generally, the people want improvement in the services being given to them. Hence, members of the civil service, though they do not take party in politics, have got to be more sensitive to political changes and appreciative of the aspirations of the political masters. Politicians, on their parts, must also realize they are the important parts in the understanding of aspirations and rising expectation of the people. They can no longer adopt the attitude of leaving everything to the Civil service. The days of “I want it done, I don’t care how you do it” are over. The State has reached the stage of development that emphasizes on the ability to implement projects for results, which mean recognition of conditions on the ground and understanding of the overall objectives of the development plans for the benefits of the people. Assuredly, members of the civil service will not be asked to perform the impossible or throw by the road side development plans that have taken months to prepare just because some fringe groups want them be changed completely. They must position themselves to be able to evaluate that most of the fringe groups, like the opposition, do not understand the objectives of the long-term development plan for the country. For example, the more aggressive ones, now coming in increasing number from outside, want the local people to move to the same place as those in America and Europe. They are only interested to involve in politics to get power. Rightly they should be taken merely as a pin of salt.
Basically, the people will be given their rights of share in development based on the capability of the country to do so in accordance with the doctrine that right is respected within the realm of reality or within the capability of the country to deliver. In other words, the government will endeavor to deliver what is within the capability of the country to do so. Hence, the Government must stand with some courage to serve the people within the capability of the country. Undoubtedly, since the late 80s, the State Government has been able to carry out a process to re-organize and re-energize the administration in order to cope with modern changes and aspirations of the people. Even in the early years of Independence, the Civil Service tended to be quite rigid, the legacy of the strict colonial set up, in implementing change. Now the members, leaders in particular, are more imaginative in ways they tackle the problems relating to their services.
benuasains
*Photos Source: google.com images
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