Gov't will only target unfilled posts in downsizing civil service

PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya will only target unfilled positions for now, in an attempt to downsize the bloated civil service, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Md Farid Md Rafik.

"When we say we want to reduce the number of civil servants in stages, this involves the positions in the civil service which are unfilled," Md Farik, who is the deputy minister in charge of unity, said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (BN-Lenggong) who had asked whether the government is looking into the social effects of downsizing the civil service, such as reduced job opportunities and economic growth.

Md Farid said there are 1.7 million positions in the civil service, but there is a consistent six percent of unfilled positions every year.

"In terms of reducing, we will see how, whether the service delivery of these unfilled positions can be optimised.

"We do not touch the civil servants who are already with the government at this time," he said.

The government is in the process of restructuring the number of positions in the civil service based on the country's economy and development of technology, he said earlier.

They are examining overlaps in the functions among departments and agencies, optimising human resources, looking at privatisation, outsourcing of functions, alternative service delivery, among other methods in the restructuring exercise, Md Farid said.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had previously said that the size of the civil service is too big and ought to be reduced.

However, he acknowledged that shrinking the civil service would result in additional problems.

"If we reduce the size, there would be unemployment problems and this would cause social problems for us.

"So, we need to develop our country, in manufacturing for example, so that more of our people could switch from working for the government to working for the private sector, and raise their earnings above that of an ordinary government officer," he had said. - Mkini