DAP MP pounces on Gerakan man's 'civil servants a burden' remark

 

With the upcoming election for six states turning into a battle for Malay votes, the remarks by Penang Gerakan's Mok Kok On regarding the civil service could backfire on Perikatan Nasional, which has positioned itself as the defender of race and religion.

DAP lawmaker Syahredzan Johan (above), whose party leaders have also made similar statements about the civil service in the past, pounced on Mok’s statement on social media, which has since been deleted.

Describing the Gerakan man as a “spokesperson for PN”, the Bangi MP criticised him for stating that civil servants are a “burden to the nation” and calling on the government to “reduce the number of civil servants.”

“This posting has since been deleted perhaps because it courted anger.

“There are many civil servants in Bangi. As the MP for Bangi, I object to this (Mok’s) statement which is not helpful and only serves to hurt the feelings of civil servants.

“An apology must be made,” he said.

Penang Gerakan’s Mok Kok On

Syahredzan also published a screenshot of Mok’s statement, which was uploaded on the Gerakan Penang Facebook page.

Mok had based his arguments on the nation’s current economic woes.

The Bangi MP’s Twitter post on this issue was retweeted by Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who is the government’s spokesperson.

In April this year, the Singapore-based research centre ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute stated that the Malays comprised 78 percent of federal government staff and 80 percent of top decision-making positions in Malaysia.

Given the racial composition of the civil service, their votes would play a crucial role in the elections.

Malay dominance

At the state level, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari revealed last Saturday that 5,000 of the 7,000 contract civil servants have been absorbed into permanent positions.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

In February, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim dismissed the prospect of reforming the civil service after DAP leader P Ramasamy was quoted as claiming it was dominated by a single race.

Following this, PN leaders were up in arms. For example, Bersatu vice-president Radzi Jidin claimed it highlighted DAP's "allergy" towards Malay dominance.

Ramasamy, who was criticised by other Pakatan Harapan parties, later claimed that his statement had been misinterpreted.

In 2019, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then the prime minister of a Harapan-led government, also admitted that the civil service was bloated and should be trimmed.

However, he said that shrinking the civil service would result in additional problems. - Mkini