SINCE his appointment as prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been striking all the right chords.
True to his pre-election promises, he has been prioritising the people in all his actions, pronouncements and promises, even before he has been able to cobble together his Cabinet.
Whatever grandiose plans he may have for the future, he is now concentrating on bread-and-butter issues and prioritising the people.
As the saying goes, he has hit the ground running.
This is indeed a welcome paradigm shift, especially when the rakyat are grappling with multiple issues at the same time, both man-made and naturally occurring.
The prime minister has also said and demonstrated that he is not unduly concerned about slander and misinformation, recognising the fact that losers will always be losers.
But the new prime minister is acutely aware that to deliver the goods he needs the full support of the civil service.
For that reason, he addressed all the staff of the Prime Minister’s Department and sought their cooperation to implement his new directives.
These include, among others, bringing an end to the practice of government procurements without tender and issues concerning integrity.
In other exhortations, he has shown he can lead by example such as shunning a brand new car purchased for his use and echoing Gandhian principles by wearing chappals to work on one occasion.
Even before a full changing of the guard, he has called on the civil service to be the agents of change that people are expecting and put into practice the principle of good governance and integrity.
By his exhortation to them, Anwar has acknowledged the fact that the civil servants are the backbone of the country and it is within their purview to make a better nation for all.
The civil service also plays a very important role in supporting the prime minister of the day and the ministers. Without them little can be achieved.
What is of utmost importance in the final analysis is to build and sustain a culture of dedicated service to the rakyat involving all levels of our civil service.
In addition, steps must be taken to reduce bureaucratic red tape and improve administrative efficiency in all departments and agencies.
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye
Kuala Lumpur
