Group calls for wider parliamentary scrutiny over civil service

 

A group of civil leaders led by International Medical University (IMU) president and IHH Group chairperson Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman has urged for health and police services to be scrutinised to ensure accountability and impartiality of their services.

“We urge that the health and police services be scrutinised by Parliament Special Select Committees more effectively, even when the Parliament is not in session.

“Public trust towards health and police services is very important during political instability and pandemic in Malaysia,” the group said in a statement last Sunday.

The statement was jointly signed by a group of academicians that include Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman, Dr Amar Singh HSS, Dr Khor Swee Kheng, Dr Munir Majid, Dr Rajah Rasiah, Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi; and civil leaders that include human rights advocate Ambiga Sreenevasan, founder of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) Cynthia Gabriel, Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) president Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz, and chief executive officer (CEO) of non-profit think-tank Ideas Malaysia Tricia Yeoh.

The group said the Health, Science, and Innovation Committee, as well as Security Committee, should immediately meet virtually even when the Parliament is currently not in session to ensure checks and balances on the country’s health and police services.

“This is a simple civil administration decision and involves more frequent and systematic interactions (between the committees and the services).

“These two committees should also receive adequate political, financial, and human resources support to play a more active role than previously,” the group added.

The group stressed the need for the Health Ministry director-general, the inspector-general of police as well as their team to perform their job independently and impartially, and listed the reasons why.

“First, political leaders and the government will change hands, but the civil service will remain.

“Second, the civil service delivers critical services and should be protected from partisan political influence.

“Third, we should protect the trust people have towards civil service, and create a reality and perception that civil service is impartial and independent.

“Finally, Malaysia is experiencing an unprecedented political situation, which calls for a solution to protect the civil service, which has never been done before.”

The group reiterated that through checks and balances by the parliamentary committees, Malaysia can protect the independence and impartiality of the health and police services.

“We will also reduce the risk of these services being politicised, used as a political tool, or perceived to have been used as a political tool,” the group added. - Mkini