The tyranny of the bureaucracy.

1. I was watching a program called 'mega icons' on tv.  It is about distinguished India personalities.

2. Among those who  have appeared on  the program was former Indian  president  Apj Abdul Kalam.

3. One of the programmes  that interests me was about a lady Indian  mp.  She walks and cycles to her ward.

4. She is an uncropomising opponent  to any forms of corruption which is also rife in our country. She is also an indomitable  foe to bureaucratic red-tapism.

5. One of the remarks she made that I  will always remember  is this: why should the people wait to receive  services?

6. translated, it means any unexplainable  delays and pussy-footing by the bureaucracy must not be put up.

7. In our country, bureaucratic delayed  are legendary. Corruption is one of the main causes. It appears to be true what tun Razak  once said: corruption  is the engine of growth, the lubricant.

8. Let me put it bluntly.  Why are these bastards waiting for? There are 1.6m government  servants  in the country. Too many I'd  say.

9. These laggards and dullards should  be thanking their stars that they got jobs with  the government.  Most would  not get into  the private  sector.

10. The chief secretary, head of jpa and division heads must be more  vigilant. In fact I  think there must be a minister of the civil service to handle the civil servants.

11. I find  it to be of no consequence  the weekly assembly  of departmental heads and senior civil servants especially  that done by Mahathir.

12. Good work ethics  dont seem to rub off these numbskulls.  Like the Malay  saying that says, like pouring water on the yam leaf. The water just runs off the surface not wetting  it.

13. Thus the policies of any given administration  can be frustrated  by an amorphized  bureucracy.

14. Where are the fault lines? I have to quote Shakespeare  for  this

15. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves  that we are underlings.

16. I blame poor leaderhip as the first reason  for  this situation.  Political leadership appears directionless in this.  It doesn't seem to want to touch the bureaucratic sluggishness that's  plaguing  the admistation. The minister should take note of  this.

17. The frontline leaders failed to  instill the correct  attitude  and values  among civil servants. The -chief sectery, the ks,  the sub et al,  have failed to instill a sense of urgency in the bureaucratic  dna.

18. The truth is, the scum rises to the  top. I am tired of seeing mediocre people through the affluxion of time, rise to become heads of departments. They then perpetuate the mediocrity that is conditioned by their life experience and so so education.

19. Thats why I am not perturbed to hear of a grade 54 person promoted to jusa c if he were qualified. A person who has 20 years of grass cutting experience may know all the tools but cannot compare with a person with 10 year experience  doing a multitude of jobs.  The first person is still a grass cutter!

20. As the saying says, a donkey ladden with books is still a donkey.

21. Both political  and functional leaderships must have clear and pragmatic  ways to achieve their objectives.
The civil service  is responsible  for translating the policies of the Political masters.

22. Its like going  to a government  guesthouse  or hotel-you see buttons  and switches, you know  there are there for some specific purposes.  If you press them and nothing happens , you get frustrated.  Similarly government  servants  are there for a specific purpose. To provide fast and efficient  service. If they do not, you get utterly frustrated.
Like the lady Indian  mp says-why should the people wait to get some bloody service?

23. Another cause is what I  termed as bureaucratic  hubris.  Civil servants are too cocky and full of themselves  that there is a condescending feeling  that the public want their service and goods on their discretionary  terms.
This look down attitude  can only be removed when you remove these mother effers.

24. The officialdom  shell conceals the mediocrity masked behind pomposity.  This gives  rise to the little  napoleon complex.

25. It gives rise to the haughty belief that they are indispensable.  The public have to  tolerate their idiosyncrasies.

26. They live in a take it or leave it world. Its time we shock the system.

27. I am sure the civil service have their evaluation  system, their protocol  ,their iso and what not. But the minister must have the right to terminate recalcitrant  civil servants.

28. It is better to be feared than to  be loved.

29. Has anyone considered the Shell evaluation  system? Lee Kuan  Yew found it useful for  Singapore, so maybe it maybe good  for Malaysia too.
It is based  on the acronym H. A.I.R. Except  I  will change  the 'I'  to initiative  instead of imagination.

30. We must capitalise our multi  racial structure  by accommodating  non  Malays  into the civil service. It will introduce  some competition.

31. Let's not make employment  with the government as a last resort.  Passes in B. M., English  and maths must be mandatory.

32. So if you must know, that's  how the public percieved the civil service. It is not sacrosanct.