Civil service ‘professional, non-political’, says G25

 

Civil servants do not take sides when implementing policies, says G25.

PETALING JAYA: A group of prominent retired civil servants said the country’s civil service is both professional and non-political, in response to a call by PAS president Hadi Awang for those uncomfortable with the current government to resign.

G25 said the civil service does not take sides in implementing policies.

“They serve the king and country and not any political party,” it said in a brief statement to FMT.

Meanwhile, Dr Wong Ang Peng, the communications director for the National Patriots Association (Patriot) – a group comprising former soldiers and policemen – echoed the sentiment.

The country’s civil servants, he said, knew the laws and regulations.

The problem, Wong said, was with politicians who gave conflicting directives that contravened regulations and good governance – examples of which, he added, were “aplenty”.

While there are bad apples who bend to the wishes of their political masters, generally, the performance of the civil service is commendable, although there is much room for improvement.

“If civil servants today show low regard for government ministers, then the politicians deserve it. Politicians who cannot perform in a particular position should quit, not the civil servants,” he said when contacted.

Wong added that there was no question about civil servants not supporting government policies or not supporting the current ruling coalition in power.

“There is also no question about their trustworthiness.”

Earlier this week, Hadi said civil servants should quit if they were uncomfortable with the fact that the current government was not from the political party they supported.

Cuepacs said the government should not have any doubt that civil servants would remain professional in their work, regardless of which political party was in power.

Adnan Mat, the president of the umbrella body for civil services unions, assured that civil servants were impartial when implementing directives from Putrajaya.

“History has proven that civil servants have no problem in carrying out their responsibilities despite the change in government after the 14th general election and again last year,” he had said. - FMT