Best Bloated Bureaucracy to Bleed Bolehland to Bankruptcy!


by Martin Jalleh
9 Nov. 2010

Deputy PM Muhyiddin Yassin believes that the BN is “back in business”. The buoyant “Malaysian-second” in Bolehland, said that BN’s future is bright and the Opposition better not underestimate them!

Bolstered by two big by-election victories he even boldly declares that the bureaucrats in Bolehland are “the best civil servants in the world”! The civil servant “have done a lot, but the people want better”.

The Deputy PM was at his ironic best: “The people do not want rhetoric. The era for rhetoric has long gone. The era where the government knows all, like what the prime minister has said, has long gone.”

[Strange, but it is APCO (the international communications firm which Najib is paying a bomb to spruce up his image and lobby for support in Washington) which feels that Malaysia is just another backward hole where Government knows best and press freedom is a figment of the imagination (Malaysian Chronicle)!]

Yes, the rakyat knows best Muhyiddin and we fully agree with you that the civil service in Bolehland is the “best in the world” in the following ways:

Best Bloated Civil Service

· With 1.3 million civil servants to a population of 26 million, Malaysia has one of the highest civil servants-to-population ratio in the world by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development standards.

· In 2009, Malaysia’s civil servants-to-population ratio was highest in Asia Pacific. Her ratio was 4.68%, compared to Indonesia’s 1.79%, Korea’s 1.85% and Thailand’s 2.06% all of which have less than half our ratio.

· In 2009, Singapore had a total of 60,000 civil servants, i.e., 1.5% of the total population. Hong Kong had 160,000 out of a population of 7 million (2.3%). Taiwan (population of 23 million) was served by only 528,000 (2.3%).

Best way to bleed a budget dry

· “…much of the budget (2011) continues to go into operating a bloated civil service. As much as three quarters of the national budget is spent on paying salaries and other benefits to over 1.3 million civil servants.

· “This means that of every dollar spent in the budget, 75 sen goes towards manning the civil service, leaving little left to carry out development work that can benefit the country’s population.

· “There is clearly something fundamentally wrong in the way the country’s budget is being spent when so much of the allocation goes to paying for a sector that is generally regarded as unproductive and standing in the way of efficiency.” – Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies

· A post-2011 Budget dialogue highlighted the massive amount (35% of the total RM162.8 billion operating expenditure) to be spent on emoluments, pensions and gratuities of civil servants. A panelist, Ministry of Finance budget division director Datuk Dr Rahamat Bivi Yusuff admitted that there is a need to trim the civil service to reduce the budget deficit.

· In a public forum held in Sept this year Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin admitted that there is an over-inflated civil service and that the government will need to make tough but necessary changes in the next five or 10 years to reduce the numbers.

· “We are now spending more than RM41 bil a year – that’s a billion more than the market capitalisations of Khazanah Nasional and Telekom Nasional – to upkeep our 1.15 million civil servants. It’s a whopping cost, especially so when juxtaposed against the 1.14mil Malaysians who pay income tax. (There are 10.5 million employed citizens in the country, of whom 6.4 million are registered taxpayers, but actual contributions come from only 1.14 mil). – The Star, 7 May 2009

Best way to bankrupt this nation

· Whilst it is the growing trend of many countries to reduce their civil service, Malaysia, the PM’s Department in particular, has done the opposite. It more than doubled its number of civil servants from 21,000 to 43,554 this year. In stark contrast, the White House employs only 1,888 staff.

· The White House’s budget is US$394 million for 2011. The PM’s Department has been allocated a whopping RM18.14 billion for the year 2011, almost double the RM10.2 billion this year.

· “Pemandu, which stands for Performance, Management and Delivery Unit, was set up last year under the Najib administration as one of the pillars in his Government Transformation Plan… is a massive drain on resources. In a span of two months, just to pay 50 consultants, the government spent RM20 million.”

· “If the civil service is consuming a big budget under the Prime Minister’s Department, it is because the other agencies of the civil service are not functioning. That’s why Najib consolidates everything under his department.” – Ong Kian Ming, political analyst

Best contradiction of 1Malaysia

· As at 31 December 2009, the racial breakdown of the Malaysian civil service comprising 1,247,894 employees was as follows: Malay (78.2%); Other Bumiputras (7.7%); Chinese (5.8%), Indian (4.0%); and Others (4.2%).

· “This is the worst multi-racial composition of the government service, with the lowest Chinese and Indian representation in the public service in Malaysia’s 53-year history. This is clearly seen from the three sets of comparative figures of the racial breakdown of the civil service before the NEP 1971 and as at December 2009 – Malays (60.80% and 78.2%); Chinese (20.2% and 5.8%); Indians (17.4% and 4.0%); and Others (1.6% and 4.2%).

· “It is clear that the Government is setting the worst example of a 1Malaysia Government.” –Vivian Kuan, in Loyar Burok’s Blog (8 Nov 2010).

Best in corruption

· Last year two out of five civil servants were deemed corrupt by Cuepacs. It was described as a worrying trend that needed to be tackled urgently.

· Cuepacs President Omar Osman revealed that a total of 418,200 or 41% of the 1.2 million civil servants in the country were suspected to be involved in corruption last year (Bernama, 02.06.10). It caused Lim Kit Siang to remark that “the MACC is a big flop as it did not even arrest 0.1% of the corrupt civil servants last year”.

· Malaysians generally consider political parties and civil service to be the most corrupt groups, and the government’s anti-corruption drive to be ineffective, the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) report revealed (The Sun, 03.06.09)

Best “dumping ground”

Finally, Muyhiddin should ponder on the wisdom of Sakmongkol AK47, the pen-name of Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz, a former state assemblyman of Pahang who is a member of Umno.

“Government service shouldn’t be treated as a dumping ground for academic rejects and mediocre material. Let’s demand a certain high standard and ensure we bring in talent that supports that demand for high standards.

“What has the government done to improve the efficiency and competence of government servants? There isn’t really competition there if the service is dominated by one race. There isn’t sufficient quality if the entry-level qualifications are so-so.

“Yet each year, to placate civil servants, the PM will appear on TV to say, we honour our civil servants because they have done a good job, blah blah. Which is not entirely true. The service is slow, the quality of officers is questionable.

“Those people talking about the GTP have not talked openly about the issue of talent in the civil service and in government. If we don’t open up our civil service, it will atrophy. It is a simple observation of experience. If we don’t open up and cultivate competition to get into government service, we get what ails our service now – little Napoleonism – the imposition of pettiness by mediocre talent that fouls up the delivery service.”

So there you have it Muhyiddin — the world’s best bureaucratic behemoth and blunder to burden the people of Bolehland and bleed the country dry! And believe it or not its by a government who boasts about ” People First, Performance Now”. Little wonder that we are the world’s best example of a country with growing similarities with Greece where 10% of its population are government servants and is reputed to be the most corrupt nation in the Eurozone!

But Umno likes Muhyiddin’s make-believe. It will guarantee them votes in the next General Elections, which must be close at hand. Civil servants are made to believe that Umno is their (political) paymaster and they owe Umno. The party’s leaders would do or say anything to convince the government servant of this, even praising them as “the best civil servants in the world”!

  1. #1 by yhsiew on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:00 am

    ///he even boldly declares that the bureaucrats in Bolehland are “the best civil servants in the world”! The civil servant “have done a lot, but the people want better”.///

    There is little surprise that Muhyiddin Yassin made the above statement because civil servants are kingmakers of the BN government. BN will lose many seats if all the civil servants are removed or badly treated by their BN boss.

  2. #2 by k1980 on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:13 am

    http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles//11immi/Article/

    One of the seven Immigration officers arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) last month has RM9 million in a foreign bank account, believed to be proceeds from human trafficking activities. A source familiar with the case revealed that the officer, in his 40s, had amassed the fortune when he was posted at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Sepang.

    Assuming he has worked for 20 years, this means that he has been earning RM9,000,000 / 240 months = RM37,500 per month. And the civil servants still demand 2 months of bonus.

  3. #3 by yhsiew on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:19 am

    The recruitment of so many civil servants is a blatant abuse of public fund to shore up BN political strength as civil servants are indoctrinated by BN to be loyal to their political master through the BTN courses.

  4. #4 by TheWrathOfGrapes on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:26 am

    /// Best Bloated Bureaucracy to Bleed Bolehland to Bankruptcy! ///

    Another acerbic alliteration on avarice – artfully assembled and astutely articulated.

  5. #5 by dagen on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:38 am

    Wow.

    But I am definately not stupid.

    So he must be stupid.

    Stupid punya DPM.

    And blind too.

    And and deaf.

    And greedy and power crazy.

    Oppresive.

    Arrogant.

  6. #6 by born in Malaya on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 11:40 am

    A race base or racist government must go, only those who benefited from the easy life supports them, these are all the present rullers’ fault. Country like us will be left behind if there are no changes.Quotas and special rights are just encouraging more people to be lazier and left further behind.
    The shameless goverment with their shameless leaders must go . Wake-up citizens.

  7. #7 by Comrade on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 11:45 am

    “the best civil servants in the world”

    I could not believe what I see
    The best joke of the century
    By the best joker the PM’s deputy
    Bathing in his own glory

  8. #8 by tak tahan on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 12:16 pm

    Best civil servants in their world or the world.Please lah,ask also foreigners residing here and hear what they say.Laugh aloud is their answers.No wonder bolehland judges are unreliable.

  9. #9 by dagen on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 12:23 pm

    Best service in the world?

    Oh yeah. I agree.

    Just pay.

    And you will surely get lightning speed service.

    Some dept staff actually tell you to use agents otherwise your application for whatever thing will not be approved or will be sangat lambat. And they have cheek to prepare a printed list of their members/agents for your selection.

    That is the secret to our umno gobermen “best service” proclamation by the toasted face.

  10. #10 by boh-liao on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 12:28 pm

    Yeah, Y not, d best civil servants in d world, as far as UmnoB is concerned
    Unbreakable iron bowl, some behaved 4 UmnoB as little n big Napoleons, die-die must hv UmnoB in power, some working in PR-states fed info 2 UmnoB n sabotaged PR state gomen, n they guaranteed votes 4 UmnoB/BN in GE
    UmnoB loves them, d source of their racist n corrupt governance

  11. #11 by Ray on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 12:32 pm

    Unmoputras…What you sow today will be you what reap tommorrow..likewsie PR Party as well
    Oh ! Mr. Sir Moove he Dumb….did you take a Look in the mirror today? …Why are you forever so blind??How heartenings it must be for you to defend yr corruption party inflictions daily in the local UmNo controlled media??
    Here is the answer you get ….its a natural tendency humane inherited obssessed hopes for all self-misdeeds even without notice or without Allah permission >>> thereby human ignorance continuosly blindly committing wrong doing ,deceitful ,becoming more lawlessness of our Humane deeply rooted sinful wicked nature …constantly hypocitically turn away from ALLAH But pretensiouly within thier psychopatic being offer their immense loud crazily ritual religious prayers and thanks praise hopeful of seeking and begging for Supreme-Allah forgiveness and heaven’s mercy ….for all self wrong doings.
    Horrible Goodness Grief.
    God Is Light ….But sad to see Umno turn this nation into Darkness….by all means of their Numbskulls.
    Cheers

  12. #12 by ktteokt on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 12:52 pm

    Malaysia has civil servants (public servants) who forgot where their salaries are coming from! They think they are boss. Whenever you walk into any government department, these people will show you faces, take their anger out on you and kick you around like footballs!

  13. #13 by undertaker888 on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 1:07 pm

    Back-in-Business = i scratch your back, you scratch my backside for 250RM per vote.

    has muyiddin line up at the counter to get his passport..etc done before? if not, how does he know the civil service is the best in the world? maybe all his errants are done and delivered to his feet for him to say that.

    any common people like us would avoid the civil service like a disease if we have to. 8 out 10 times dealing with the civil servants i came out even more frustrated.

    It seems like when meeting them, I have to be “Civil” and treated like a “Servant” at the same time.

    Yep, moo is right. the best in the world in pissing you off.

  14. #14 by monsterball on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 1:56 pm

    Muhyiddin is happy that UMNO B seem to be given a green light to continue their race and religion and encourage corruptions..apply double standard…based on the two recent by elections.
    Soi Lek and KTK must be happy too thinking life lines are there for their parties to support UMNO B like puppets…to do all things evil…all over again…until Malaysia is owned by UMNO B and they can have everlasting comforts with a cozy job..be millionaires doing nothing but polishing apples and shoe shining jobs.

  15. #15 by k1980 on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 3:38 pm

    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/utusan-calls-may-13-a-sacred-day/

    sacred day may thirteen to be made a holiday (hari suci)!

  16. #16 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 5:11 pm

    Bull-s*it, Moo……
    I shan’t humour you.

  17. #17 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 5:18 pm

    Hello Muhyiddin, have you read this yet:
    BBC: Obama hails Indonesia as model.

    “US President Barack Obama holds up Indonesia as an example of how a developing nation can embrace democracy and diversity.”

    Soon, Malaysians will end up as TKM (Tenaga Kerja Malaysia) in Indonesia in the same way Indonesians working in Malaysia are known as TKI.
    Thanks to BN and Thanks to Moo too.

    Wonder if Malaysian Cabinet is even worthy to walk behind and smell the fart of the Indonesian Cabinet.

  18. #18 by born in Malaya on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 5:35 pm

    Umno members cannot survive if they work equally with the rest of the citizens in Malaysia.
    They are just a pampered bunch, this is where all the taxes and the country’s wealth go to, UMNO and the near 100% Malay government staff.
    The BN racist policy parties must go , go, go.
    No one wants a racist government, shameless too.

  19. #19 by Loh on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:05 pm

    ///· In 2009, Malaysia’s civil servants-to-population ratio was highest in Asia Pacific. Her ratio was 4.68%, compared to Indonesia’s 1.79%, Korea’s 1.85% and Thailand’s 2.06% all of which have less than half our ratio.

    · In 2009, Singapore had a total of 60,000 civil servants, i.e., 1.5% of the total population. Hong Kong had 160,000 out of a population of 7 million (2.3%). Taiwan (population of 23 million) was served by only 528,000 (2.3%).

    · Whilst it is the growing trend of many countries to reduce their civil service, Malaysia, the PM’s Department in particular, has done the opposite. It more than doubled its number of civil servants from 21,000 to 43,554 this year. In stark contrast, the White House employs only 1,888 staff.///–Martin Jalleh

    Going by Taiwan’s standard, there should only be 639,000 civil servants in Malaysia. The other 661,000 civil servants should have been put to productive work in the private sector.

    Najib’s department at 43,554 is only 16,000 less that the total number of civil servants in Singapore. Soon, Najib will have as many people working in the PM department as the civil service in Singapore.

    In terms of the number persons employed, Najib is more powerful than the President of the United States. It is more remarkable when the population of Malaysia is less than one-tenth of USA.

  20. #20 by born in Malaya on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 9:58 pm

    During election time, you will hear that all government servants are compel to vote BN.
    Since election is near now, there will be even more servants added next year since they need more votes.
    To Umno, it is only a game of numbers, the more votes they get, the chances of them maintaining the government will be higher.
    Umno’s Racist policy for just Malays is also a form of bribe, so that the Malays would continue to vote them.
    Hopefully, people have awoken from their sleep and reject a race base government.

  21. #21 by Taxidriver on Wednesday, 10 November 2010 - 10:28 pm

    yhsiew #3

    u r right on spot! Mamak’s brainchild. Very visionary he is. He also the creator of Project M-to win elections lol. That’s why it is called the ‘election ‘government’. Never mind if the social problems or the country going bankrupt.

  22. #22 by raven77 on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 2:35 am

    So now..after fighting Chin Peng like hell…we have finally adopted …COMMUNISM…yep employment in government for everybody even though they dont need a job and the government is loosing money like hell…

    Malaysia will fall harder then the Soviet Union….they really must fall hard….only then will there be true reforms…

  23. #23 by waterfrontcoolie on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 8:03 am

    Under WTO scenario, China is fighting hard to send their SOEs private and we take their socialist approach increase the number of Gomen employees. At the end of the day, the civil becomes so bloated that finally their pays will stagnant then all the brains, if there is still any left, will move out. We will have something akin to North Korea, where only BLIND Rolayists are around to serve the ruling party. by then, maybe we will join the Agrican-Middle East league for competitiveness.

  24. #24 by dagen on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 8:38 am

    I had the misfortune to have to submit some plans to dbkl several yrs ago for planning permission (i.e. approval to build something). The planning dept has (by my reckoning at least) 20 tables, of which 18 or so were usually empty (observation based on my several visits there). Yes. Empty. Not vacant. Files and documents were piled up high on most of the tables with no one in sight to work on them.

    On a couple of occassions I actually had to wake up the chappy who was seated near to the front for assistance. Mind you. The top half of his torso was tilting precariously off the chair – I can still recall this clearly. How could I not. It was definitely a mr bean act. “Penat. Kerja banyak. Tension.” (something like that) was his remark upon awakening.

    Jib’s got tower-power.
    Jib Jib Boleh.

  25. #25 by Jeffrey on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 9:31 am

    The root cause of bloated bureaucracy is the affirmative NEP Policy based on ideological pinning of the NEP“. If its assumed – and drummed into the heads of the majority race that they are not yet ready for the highly competitive private sector employment and won’t be able to survive out there where English proficiency is demanded – many would seek civil service as safe haven and even if short in standards would be recruited as the objective of affirmative help is equally viewed the same by the civil service interview committee members of same race.

    Once employed civil service procedures and its Union (CUEPAC) make it difficult for the lax and inefficient to be removed except in cases of exceptional insubordination or dishonesty. Besides Government, as employer is also viewed as protector and stakeholder to uphold NEP’s objectives. On the government’s part this protection in the form of ‘affirmative’ help is justified as against reciprocal political loyalty by repeated delivery by 1.2 million of civil servants of their votes, no matter how the government fails – and why not if the country and our gas and oil reserves can still afford and finance the expenditure? And on the civil servants’ part the principle is one does not fight and vote against the hand that feeds one especially when it is often thought, perhaps erroneously, that if one votes against the ruling party/coalition, the government will somehow find out and know about it.

    The Bureaucracy therefore has become an extension of the NEP and part of its affirmative programmes.

    The government desires to reform but the success of reform depends on an efficient civil service to implement and deliver. However if the inefficient are also recruited given employment and protected in the bureaucracy along NEP principles how to implement and deliver? So the need to complement the inefficient (not removed) by recruiting some of the more efficient thereby making the bureaucracy lagi bloated.
    Soon the efficient (after recruitment), finding that the inefficient alongside them are also getting same remuneration and not removed, soon absorb the culture of taking it easy, and the original purpose of recruiting the efficient then becomes then also subverted!

    The cost of supporting such a bloated service – eg salaries bonuses and pensions- however increase more and more as time goes by exacerbated by demands for more due to rise in living costs/inflation and also the civil servants themselves, when after imbibing NEP’s values that the bureaucracy is there to help them, soon also help themselves with all kinds of programmes (in the pretext of ‘training’) that though strictly not necessary, allow them to reap some perks in the form of a well deserved holiday, whilst the corrupt amongst them in charge of organizing these programmes and taking charge of purchases and supplies, help themselves even more….

    The government tries to correct this malaise of laxity and creeping corruption by repeatedly exhorting civil servants on the imperatives of transparency, accountability, competitiveness and merit based striving for a culture of excellence as if unaware that these are diametrically opposed and contradicted by the very NEP premise and the values implicated that have pervaded and percolated as culture and mindset of those it targets to address.

    However, even if the government were aware that NEP is the root problem, nothing much can be done if the NEP is the very foundation and substratum of the ruling party’s political survival and held sancrosanct. So the cycle of cost wastage feeds on itself like an endless cycle without break and though everyone knows the problem and even the solution, no one dares fix it.

  26. #26 by tuahpekkong on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 11:02 am

    We not only have one of the highest civil servants to population ratio in the world, we also have the largest court complex in the world whose piping often leaks and its ceiling regularly tumbles down.

    Only RM45.6 billion (21.5%) out of the total budget of RM212 billion goes towards development. The other much bigger portion goes towards operating expenditure like payment of emolument, perks, pension, repayment of debts and interest etc. Very non-productive indeed. Of the amount to be spent on development, a high percentage will undoubtedly end up in the pockets of corrupt oficials and well connected people. A RM400 million project which eventually balloons to well over RM900 million and irregularities highlighted yearly in the in the AG’s report are testimonies to the sleaze.

    Actually if you exclude ethnic Chinese and Indian teachers in vernacular schools, the percentage of Chinese and Indian Government servants may total less than 5% even though they probably account for about 33% of the total population. The personnel manning the CIQ complex in Johor Bahru is a microcosm of the ‘lopsided’ Malaysian civil service where staff consists almost entirely of one race.At the Woodlands Customs and Immigration check point on the Singapore side, things are entirely different. It reflects their multi-racial society. Some may say it is cosmetic but we can’t even do the same at our JB CIQ. Maybe there just isn’t sufficient ethnic Chinese and Indian staff around to man the few counters. So much for 1 Malaysia!

    I do agree with the writer that corruption is rampant in our civil service. What to do, bapa borek, anak rintik (like father, like son). These days, a person who wields power but is not corrupted is hard to come by. Corruption is the norm in our society, probity is the anomaly.

  27. #27 by Ray on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 12:24 pm

    All we need is Just take a simple survey test for answering a few time management ,work effectiveness and pushing taichi ? to these easy life 8-5 NEP C Servants will reflect apa ini? attitude malas tak tau apa ,mimiun kopi ,mamak teh tarik and esok lah contributions ,productivity which certainly equates to Malaysia Umno ruled Govt profit-Loss Bankruptcy Business absolutely…..corruption money disappearing without even noticing…kalau you mau jebat,bayar extra $50 Ringgit lah.

  28. #28 by Voter on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 12:51 pm

    Anwar get trap by BN strategy again by accepted zaid into pakatan ! never learn a lesson ! BN strategy this time is useful.
    they created two opposition spoiler which is zaid party and yong teck lee party to divide voter.

  29. #29 by k1980 on Thursday, 11 November 2010 - 2:54 pm

    bolehland (478 times larger than Singapore) overtaken by singapore as asean’s 3rd biggest economy.

    http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/singapore-set-to-pass-malaysia-as-aseans-third-largest-economy/

  30. #30 by johnnypok on Friday, 12 November 2010 - 1:22 am

    From Bolehland to Bodohland to Zimbabweeland … 2019

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