PM: Remain apolitical and act professionally

The Star

PUTRAJAYA: Public service employees must discharge their duties professionally and remain apolitical in their work, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He added that acting professionally and working without prejudice were principles that were sacrosanct in public service.

Najib said the dedication from the public service employees was especially vital to the nation now as it faced more challenges than ever – with an increasing number of competitors in the world market and also the rakyat’s increasing expectation of quality.

“The issues that public servants face today are more complex than ever,” he said at a dinner function with Public Service Commission (PSC) staff here yesterday.

At the function, also attended by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan and PSC chairman Tan Sri Jamaluddin Ahmad Damanhuri, the Prime Minister presented the ISO 9001:2008 certification for PSC.

He also launched the commission’s profiling recruitment method (MyRecruitment).

Najib said the process to create a new Malaysia also meant public service employees must be able to make quick decisions and execute them without compromising on quality.

“I announced a RM10mil allocation for creating 50 1Malaysia clinics during my Budget announcement last year, and by the first week of this year 44 were opened. In the second week all 50 are ready to provide service.

“The ability of a ministry that has a high-level of bureaucracy in achieving the target in such a short time proves that the right motivation and catalyst can bring outstanding response from public servants,” he said.

In his speech earlier, Jamaluddin said it was important to ensure the public service hired the best talents with a high level of integrity.

To make it easier for those interested to join the public service, the commission would be setting up new interview centres in Ipoh, Tawau, Sandakan, Johor Bahru, Alor Setar, Sibu and Miri – in addition to the existing ones in Kota Baru and Kuantan.