The proposal by the Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang to introduce from next year the accountability index which will award star ratings to all ministries, state governments and statutory bodies for their management of public funds, is a great and very innovative initiative that must be lauded by all quarters.
Ambrin said the accountability index will be an objective assessment of the financial performance of ministries, departments and state governments.
Marks will be given according to performance and will be translated into star ratings to measure compliance, viz:
- 4 stars — Excellent (90% – 100%)
- 3 stars — Good (70% – 89%)
- 2 stars — Satisfactory (50% – 69%)
- 1 star — Not Satisfactory (49% and below)
The promotion of secretaries-general and heads of department will also be tied to the index of their financial management performance.
When introducing the 2008 Budget speech last Friday, the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had emphasized the priority and importance of raising the level of performance of the civil service, which is critical in sustaining the competitiveness of the nation, especially in the context of increasing globalization.
Calling for best practices and the culture of high performance in the civil service, Abdullah had announced that beginning on 1 January 2008, Secretaries General of ministries and Heads of Services will be offered a three-year contract and their performance rewarded based on KPIs (key performance indicators).
This contract will be offered to officers who are currently serving in the Diplomatic and Administrative as well as in other relevant services.
Abdullah said that apart from ensuring excellent service, the contract period of three years will provide adequate time for them to plan and execute projects effectively.
The three-year contract offered to Secretaries General and Heads of Services should contain one specific clause for the termination of contract for unsatisfactory performance — if the ministry or department concerned fails in the accountability index, getting only one star with less than 50% compliance in the star-rating system, where the Secretary General or head of department had completed a full year of contract to be audited by the Auditor-General.
This culture of responsibility must also apply to Ministers who are heading each Ministry. Where a ministry fails in the accountability index in getting only one star in the accountability index with less than 50% compliance, the Minister concerned should also bear full responsibility and resign from the Cabinet.
It is only when a Minister have to resign and the Secretary-General removed if the Ministry concerned fails in the accountability index from next year, getting only one star with less than 50% compliance in the star-rating system, that the innovation proposed by the Auditor-General will have real bite and meaning in enhancing public service integrity and accountability, instead of being relegated to a long heap of fine-sounding innovations which are only good for the ears but have no impact whatsoever in improving quality, accountability and integrity of public service performance.
#1 by Lrong on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 11:54 am
Am aghast at the way Msia is being run… as many have pointed out, there are and have been some good laws and ideas in the country… but what good are they if the so-called people who are supposed to run the country do not do a good job at implementing the ideas? We do not have to wait for this star system… it is good but I see it more like a waste of more resources… even without the stars, those thieves should be hunted down and punished for cheating the citizens…
#2 by badak on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 12:40 pm
For a goverment servent to climb up the ladder and get away with corruption, Its very easy just Join any BN component party,Be an apple polisher.
If you are seen as an opposition supporter you can forget about any promotion ,worst still if you are a card carrying member of an opposition party.
Most of the goverment servents if not all,have forgotten ,That they are working for the raayat and not the Barisan Notional which is a political party.Am i wrong or am i right
#3 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 12:54 pm
The proposal of performance criteria based on KPIs (key performance indicators) signified by number of “stars” by the Auditor-General is constructive but would it ameloriate the inefficiency and corruption if (hypothetically) the Secretaries General or Head of Services prefers the well tried method of slowing down the processing of an application for purposes of activating it only when the applicant gives a reward and that subsidy from the public is far more that whatever additional remuneration earning a 4 star by performance would give him?
#4 by art-upon-mu on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 1:09 pm
As usual, the accountability index system proposed by Ambrin Buang is for show only. Do you really expect the accountability index system will be implemented next year?
By now we should know that UMNO/BN is the most self-contradictory party – it loves to come out with grand slogans and rules (like bersih, cemerlang, world-class this and that, etc.) and it will be the first one that breaks all the rules and goes against all the slogans. UMNO/BN believes that all Malaysians are gullible, simpletons, and docile.
#5 by smeagroo on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 2:00 pm
With just a resignation and all sins will be washed away? Are we suckers or what?
Is there an opening to be the scapegoat for I wanna sit at the Sec-Gen’s chair. Maybe screw up rm50mil and then I can just retire somewhere overseas.
As long as no one is punished severly the rotteness will continue and we the suckers will continue to be suckers for all eternity.
Thank you Pak Lah!
p/s: Any more sec-gen vacancy?
#6 by smeagroo on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 2:04 pm
And dont forget, 49% is deemed a failure but am sure if one can gv some habuan, one can just passed with just 51% perhaps. Then is that still okay? Does it mean if the Sec-Gen screwed us for Rm10 mil is still ok and will get a 4 star rating? ONe who screw us for RM20mil will get 3-star? A screwed up is a screwed up. Go into any multinatinal company and u will know there is no 2 ways abt it when it comes to dishonesty and failure. Corruption within a company will be dealt with the law and not just asking u to resign. If that is the case, Enron blokes would surely love to work in Malaysia!
Scrap the dumb star conjob!
We are not in the hospitality industry dumb jerk!
#7 by pwcheng on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 2:21 pm
It is no use of having all those stars when the government has no commitment and genuine desire to combat the malice that has been bogging us since the dawn of TDM. It is only a knee jerk reaction by the government to hoodwink or to appease the rakyat that they are doing something but it will take an extremely naive person to believe them. If they are genuinely sincere the first thing they must do is to make the ACA independent. Answerable to the PM is a farce because if the PM is corrupt himself or a weak leader, what can we expect out of the ACA. For the fact that they condone to hide and seek tenders and purchases and the adamant refusal to change method of promotion of judges and the fact that many glaring man made opportunities for them to be corrupt are still intact in spite of thousand of complaints. Do not be deceived by the stars as many of the “star generals” are the biggest star in cheating, deceit and corruption and obviously they are not going to hang themselves by the stars. They only pretend that they do not like the word “corruption” but loves committing it.
We are definitely not going to get any changes for the better, but brace you for the worst. Our small drop of hope is the Peoples’ Petition (Petisyen Rakyat) to His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong thanks to RPK on behalf of the ten of thousands who had signed for it and I am one of them.
However to sooth our mind temporary go to
http://74.6.146.244/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=+look+for+a+star&fr=yfp-t-web&u=www.poofcat.com/oldies7.html&w=look+star+stars&d=VmhtKv4-PVNi&icp=1&.intl=mye
#8 by Libra2 on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 2:33 pm
Even the PM deserves 1 star or perhaps 0 star. In all likelihood all the ministries and their sec gens will be getting 1 or 2 star next year. Why? Since 3/4 of the year has passed, I wont be wrong to say that abuse of funds is still continuing in 2007 and these will appear in the next AGs report.
#9 by wtf2 on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 2:55 pm
with this “star” system does it mean that past crimes identified in the AG’s report will be forgiven? Will all the thus far unidentified culprits remained unidentified by ACA?
What will ACA’s follow up action be after the socalled investigation?
#10 by AntiRacialDiscrimination on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 2:57 pm
HAHAHAHAHA…….
If the AG introduces the accountability index, he would be the first to be removed by those inefficient and corrupt UMNO politicians.
Please keep in mind that all UMNO politicians are above the law.
#11 by rojak on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 5:36 pm
If it is implemented, betcha all will get 4 stars. To prove that they are better than god, in the future they’ll be awarding 5 or more stars to themselves.
Anyway the issue at hand now is not star rating. The issue is graft and corruption. Who is going to jail for it?
#12 by k1980 on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 5:39 pm
Some people have more brains than those in Sabah, Sarawak
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=702&Itemid=32
“We will never merge with Malaysia. Most importantly, we don’t want all the problems, social and otherwise, that afflict all modern countries, which thankfully we do not face; prostitution, bad family relations, degeneration, pollution, crime, drugs, corruption, deforestation.â€Â
#13 by k1980 on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 5:41 pm
This accountability index will end up like the kindergarten score cards where even the village idiot will get 99 stars(just to keep the parents happy)
#14 by sheriff singh on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 7:40 pm
Stars? Stars? Surely you joke! Next you will be suggesting caning for misbehaviours.
Lets see.
Ministry of Finance: Bailout star.
Culture, Arts and Heritage: No star, but style mesti ada.
Internal Security: -(minus) 2 stars
PDRM: Shooting Star
Information: The Star
Transport: Super Star
Education: Alor Star
Higher Education: Star Trek
Works: Bollywood Star
Foreign: Falling Star
DPM: Mongolian star
PM: Starry, starry, night
#15 by UFOne on Saturday, 15 September 2007 - 10:02 pm
The system can be misused and abused. Take for example if the boss only singles out a part of her staff and the rest are ignored, how fair can the star system be ? How fair can it be if work is unfairly distributed ? How fair can it be if one is not recognized ? How fair can it be if the boss only listen to hearsay ? What sort of a boss is that ? Why is she made a boss ? And this is happenning in the government service. Is that called cemerlang, gemilang and terbilang ? When it comes to promotion, again is it fair ? Since everyone feels so threatened, they would only promote those who will make up the crowd supporting them to be in power. Just look around. Certain government officers are more like lobbyists. They go to work. But somehow they move like snail and they can get things done their way. Isn’t this the work of a lobbyist ? And all the time, she is carrying a handphone, playing around with the SMS, MMS and also talking in it. You wonder who is at the other end ? This is not a make up story. This is real.
#16 by Godfather on Sunday, 16 September 2007 - 8:13 am
You folks remember how Badawi introduced the KPI for all GLCs with much fanfare a couple of years back. Now all that has been swept under the carpet, because there was no follow-up. There may have been good intentions, but typical of Bolehland, if good intentions merely expose poor performances, it is better to sweep everything under the carpet. Why expose yourself to public scrutiny ?
This accountability index is going the same way – into the proverbial black hole simply because there is no accountability from the top dog down.
“We are not in the business of cheating the people.” – AAB, 2006
#17 by madmix on Sunday, 16 September 2007 - 11:00 am
Civil servants cannot be sacked: that is the unwritten culture and practice of the government. At most they can be given VSS or asked to retire.
#18 by Justicewanted on Sunday, 16 September 2007 - 11:55 am
Marks will be given according to level of corruption and incompetence of the Badawi government:
• 4 stars– I am sleeping (90% – 100%)
• 3 stars –I do not know (70% – 89%)
• 2 stars – I will ask the ministers to answer (50% – 69%)
• 1 star – Maju Malaysia (49% and below)
#19 by badak on Sunday, 16 September 2007 - 1:52 pm
Star ratings, What a good idea .Semua nya ok boss,What a bunch of idiots ,But then we are the one who put them there
#20 by undergrad2 on Sunday, 16 September 2007 - 9:33 pm
“..Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang to introduce from next year the accountability index which will award star ratings to all ministries, state governments and statutory bodies for …”
Don’t forget the Prime Minister is an institution. Go fix a 1-star rating on his forehead.
#21 by helpless on Monday, 17 September 2007 - 2:03 pm
YB, pls tell AG not to change topic so early.
Punish those MINISTER (parent) and it come with future/new STAR MINISTER (children).
LET ASK AG…..
– Who bother stupid * -> if there is fast easy $ ?
– Who will shy away from corruption -> if punishment if only RM 1,000 ?
– Who will stop the greed -> if current syst. & minister are the culprit ?
If someone being pay correctly for working hard = reward.
If someone being pay extra without improve result = corruption.