Keep the bad apples in check

The Star

WE REFER to “Throw out the Bad Apples” (Sunday Star, June 17) and agree that it is high time the Government deals more seriously with their more than a million employees to further improve its delivery system.

The Government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has increased the salary of civil servants by between 7.5% and 35%, and naturally as citizens of Malaysia we expect better services from the civil servants.

Immigration (passport section) and immigration checkpoints at KLIA and the Causeway; the National Registration Department (NRD) and JPJ (Road Transport Department) have improved their delivery system tremendously.

But this is not so obvious at the land office. Sometimes, it takes months if not years to get anything done at the land office.

We would like to know why it takes so long to get anything approved. If we are inefficient, Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) will be easily driven away. No one in his right mind would like to put up with nonsense.

In order to further improve our delivery system, we suggest that the government (both Federal and State) keep their employees on their toes. Those who drag their feet must be given show cause letters why their services should not be terminated for incompetence or negligence.

As elaborated by Tun Hanif Omar, the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), we must throw out the Bad Apples. Those who do not take their jobs seriously must be dealt with.

We are confident that at the rate the Government is paying its employees now, it will be able to recruit the best and more committed workers. This will directly improve their ability to deliver excellent services to the public and, indirectly, attract more FDIs and tourists to our country.

PHILIP WONG PAK MING,

President,

Sarawak-Sabah Foochow Association, Malaysia.