Public sector clean-up to end corrupt culture: Chief Secretary

PUTRAJAYA: The focus on cleaning up the public sector is to ensure that civil servants observe the principles of integrity and good governance, and are free from corrupt practices, said Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Bakar (pix).
"It will be able to drive every civil servant who is the backbone and prime mover of the government, towards stabilising an effective delivery system," he said at an "Up and Close KSN with Media" meeting yesterday.
He said that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had emphasised that the clean-up was necessary so that the public sector could deliver the assigned tasks and ensure that wrongdoing and corruption could be overcome in the best way possible.
"When there is a change in the government, civil servants need to make adjustments in the way they carry out their jobs. Of course, the new government has a particular emphasis that requires civil servants to have more focus," he said.
Ismail was appointed to his current position on Aug 29. He replaced Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa after his contract of service ended.
Ismail also said that the government had established the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) to ensure that governance could be improved and continued from time to time to create transparency in the public delivery system.
"In addition to addressing corruption among civil servants, the government is also in the process of restoring good governance principles, good practices and conducting training for civil servants so that proper guidelines can be improved from time to time," he said.
On acts of corruption among civil servants, Ismail said: "I would say nothing that serious … the numbers are reducing. Early this year, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigated 200 cases. Basically it is under control."
Ismail said he was also looking at the overall role of the civil service, and the process of setting up departments and agencies involved in the duplication of tasks should be placed under relevant ministries.
"This change is expected to be made after six months, to see which departments and agencies can be coordinated, closed or have adjustments made to them," he said.
Ismail added that he met civil servants in Perak, Johor and Selangor to remind them to uphold political neutrality and serve the government of the day.
"There are rules in the civil service. Certain levels of civil servants in Grade B can hold positions in political parties if they get the approval from higher authorities, while those in Grade A are not allowed to hold any major position but they can be ordinary members."
Ismail also said that while he did not monitor any social media site on political statements, he advised civil servants to observe decorum when expressing their views and not to touch on religious sensitivities and government policies.
On the allegations by the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin who had said that some civil servants and enforcement agencies had provided information to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, Ismail said: "Let the relevant departments conduct their investigations and take appropriate action. Definitely, there are civil servants involved, otherwise why would Tun Daim bring up the issue?"
"I cannot explain, maybe the intelligence team has information on the matter" he said.
Ismail said that he wanted the country's public service to be the best so that Malaysia could be a developed and high-income nation. — Bernama