— IDEAS The Malaysian Insider Mar 23, 2012
MARCH 23 — The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) today releases a new Policy Ideas briefing paper that calls for the civil service at federal and state levels to plan and prepare for a smooth transition of administration. This is particularly important as we get closer to the general elections.
The Policy Ideas briefing paper argues that a smooth transition is more than just a peaceful transfer of power. It is also about ensuring that the effective functioning of government does not become too disrupted during the transition period. It provides case studies on how transition was managed in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, and the strengths and weaknesses of the systems in these countries.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of IDEAS says: “A clearly defined transition process is important. Politicians, especially those who are now in power, must accept that for the sake of the rakyat, they must create a proper transition plan. And looking at the latest developments, I think that it is more important to prepare in the states rather than federal because there is a chance we will see some states changing hands. Just imagine how disruptive it could be for the rakyat there if Kelantan or Sabah change hands. We can avoid the disruption by planning early.”
In the short term, IDEAS proposes that:
1. Civil service must conduct detailed scenario planning to explore the different possible election outcomes.
2. Senior civil servants at both state and federal levels must hold confidential meetings with opposition leaders to start building trust and identify priorities
3. The focus has to be at state level because it is likely that there will be changes at state level in the coming elections.
In the long term, IDEAS proposes that:
1. A transition guideline must be developed on a cross-party basis detailing the processes involved before and immediately after elections to ensure smooth changeover.
2. Politicians at both state and federal levels should be trained on the inner-workings of the civil service.
* IDEAS is the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.