Selangor Lantik Pegawai Wanita Untuk Ketuai MDKS

SHAH ALAM 16 Jun – Kerajaan Negeri melantik Puan Noraini Roslan sebagai Yang diPertua Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS) yang baru berkuatkuasa 1 Julai 2011.

Noraini, 46, adalah pegawai wanita pertama yang memegang jawatan YDP di Selangor. Ini menunjukkan komitmen kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat terhadap kesamaan jantina dan keberdayaan wanita.

Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata, Noraini telah menerima tawaran sebagai YDP MDKS minggu lepas dan yakin beliau akan menjalankan tugas dengan cekap, telus dan bertanggungjawab.

“Perlantikan beliau adalah berdasarkan pengalaman beliau sebagai pengarah perancang Majlis Perbandaran Klang dan Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya selama 21 tahun serta kelayakan pendidikan beliau. YDP yang cekap perlu tahu selok-belok perancangan bandar dan kami percaya beliau boleh memenuhi amanah ini dengan baik.

“Kami juga berbangga kerana berjaya melantik YDP wanita pertama di Selangor – dasar kami adalah bahawa wanita harus selalu diberi peluang yang sama dengan lelaki berdasarkan kebolehan dan kelayakan mereka,” kata Menteri Besar.

Beliau menambah, bahawa kerajaan negeri mengalu-alukan kehadiran pegawai professional seperti Noraini untuk menambah baik polisi kerajaan negeri serta agenda Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor.

Pelantikan ini bukan sahaja menunjukkan bahawa kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor mengamalkan meritokrasi tetapi juga, menunjukkan kesediaan untuk keluar dari amalan biasa sebelum ini bila mana hanya pegawai PTD sahaja yang berpeluang menjadi YDP.

Noraini berkelulusan Sarjana dalam bidang perancangan dari Universiti North Carolina, Amerika Syarikat pada 1988. Sebelum itu beliau mendapat ijazah Sarjana Muda dari Universiti East Carolina, juga di Amerika Syarikat.

Beliau bekerja sebagai pegawai perancang di Syarikat Bernas sebelum menyertai MPK sebagai pengarah perancang, Beliau ditukarkan ke MBPJ pada 2010.

Pada tahun 2005 dan 2008, beliau telah dianugerahkan pingat khidmat cemerlang. Beliau juga adalah ahli Institut Perancang Malaysia.

TLDM dalam usaha naikkan gaji dan elaun warganya

KUALA LUMPUR 27 April – Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) kini dalam usaha menaikkan gaji dan elaun warganya sejajar dengan peningkatan taraf perjawatan dalam pasukan itu, kata Panglima Tentera Laut, Laksamana Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar.

Beliau berkata, antara elaun yang sedang dalam pertimbangkan kerajaan untuk dipertingkat ialah bayaran insentif perkhidmatan kapal selam, bayaran insentif tugas stesen luar pantai, bayaran insentif bahasa asing, bayaran insentif pasukan khas dan bayaran insentif juruterbang.

Elaun baru yang dipertimbang untuk diwujudkan ialah bayaran insentif juruteknik pesawat, katanya dalam teks ucapan pada majlis perbarisan ulang tahun TLDM ke-77 peringkat Kuala Lumpur di sini hari ini.

Teks ucapannya dibacakan oleh timbalan beliau, Laksamana Madya Datuk Mohammed Noordin Ali.

Beliau berkata, usaha untuk meningkatkan elaun-elaun lain akan dilakukan secara berperingkat-peringkat. – Bernama

Change work culture of civil servants first

By R. Nadeswaran, The Sun

MANY years ago, the only form of communication between the citizen and the government was letters. You typed or wrote the letter, had it delivered by registered post or hand, obtained an acknowledgement slip and kept it as proof of posting or delivery.

If you had sent it by ordinary mail and if the agency to which it was addressed to says “tidak diterima”, it was back to producing evidence that it had indeed been sent.

Many government departments had “acknowledgement cards” which read something like this: “We acknowledge receipt of your letter and be informed that it is being attended to.”

In many cases, once this card is dispatched, the department believes its job is done. The letter will be filed with a quagmire of other documents, only to mysteriously disappear into officialdom.

With the advent of electronic mail, government departments have to be more alert and are subject to a higher level of scrutiny should they fail to respond. At the press of a button, the citizen re-sends the letter, reminding them of their failure to act on the initial note.

Instantaneous communication is now the order of the day.

Therefore, when the government announced the launch of the 1Malaysia email initiative, the objections raised did come as surprise. Initially, we were told that it would cost taxpayers RM50 million, but it has since been clarified that it is a private sector initiative which could cost us nothing. So, why then are there so many objections?

Promoters say that such a service would provide direct and safe communication between Malaysians and the government as well as improve government service delivery to users and businessmen.

But herein is the catch: It is not what email one uses, but the attitude of government officers in responding to the people.

One argument for the 1Malaysia email is that the people can immediately respond to the government on any issue or policy. Such a system, goes another argument, allows engagement and openness, which would facilitate interaction with the government departments and agencies.

Agreed, but how different will it be from the same objective being achieved if one uses a Yahoo!, Hotmail or Gmail account? Are we to assume names bearing 1Malaysia accounts will get priority over the others?

But the key issue everyone seems to have forgotten is to first change the work culture and mindsets of civil servants to respond to queries or letters sent to them – by email or snail mail. We can create all kinds of email names and accounts, but if the person at the receiving end just ignores them or fails to take immediate action, the whole initiative goes back to zero.

However, it would be certainly out of order to paint all civil servants with the same brush. The chief secretary to the government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan replies all his mail almost immediately, with some responses coming early in the morning.

And there are many secretaries-general in ministries who make it a point to reply and even forward emails to the respective officers for their input or replies. In all fairness, some directors-general of government agencies fall into this category, but they can be counted on the fingers of both hands.

The selling game for the promoters of 1Malaysia email initiative is “better interaction” but as the word “inter” suggests, it has to be between two parties or more. If one party does not respond, it becomes a “mono” sort of thing where one party keeps sending mail without getting any replies.

So, let’s get started with the basics by starting at the local council level. Make it mandatory for officers to respond to queries within 48 hours. Put a big brother in charge to monitor official mail to the council who will demand explanations and reasons for mail not attended to.

Once this culture is inculcated into the minds of officers (it may take years), then export such a system to the state governments and then at federal level.

What we need immediately is a change in attitudes with the taxpayers being treated as a client or a customer and not a burden and a nuisance by the civil service.

Once this is achieved, the battle is won and we would be able to see at least one limb of the 1Malaysia motto in place – People First.

Early retirees from armed forces may get a form of pension

The Star

LABIS: The Defence Ministry is looking into helping certain armed forces personnel experiencing financial difficulties after retirement.

Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad said these people were not qualified to receive pensions because they had served less than 22 years in the force.

Many were facing financial problems now.

Dr Latiff said about 15% of the armed forces veterans in the country were those who had opted for early retirement.

To overcome this, the ministry was looking at introducing a special career programme for personnel who had opted for early retirement, he added.

“We want to find suitable jobs for servicemen who opt for early retirement. The programme may be based on what has been carried out in the United States.

“With the programme in place, the ministry will be able to identify a post-retirement job for our staff,” he told reporters after attending the army veterans celebration here Tuesday.

Abdul Latiff also said all retiring armed forces servicemen would enjoy better benefits when Parliament passed the Armed Forces Veterans Act next year.

He added the ministry was committed to taking care of about 90,000 veterans throughout the country.

Abdul Latiff said the ministry was looking at amending the Armed Forces Act to allow servicemen who retire early to get some kind of regular payments.

“We are looking into giving an allowance or even a form of pension for those who retire after serving less than 22 years,” he added.

Lantikan SUK S'gor: ADUN harap tiada sabotaj

Malaysiakini

Pelantikan 'kontroversi' setiausaha kerajaan negeri yang baru diharapkan dapat dibuat dengan telus, beramanah dan bebas daripada sebarang bentuk unsur sabotaj, kata ADUN Kampung Tunku Lau Weng San.

Wakil rakyat DAP itu berkata, kerusi itu harus diisi oleh calon yang betul-betul komited, berupaya dan bebas sahaja.

“Memandangkan setiausaha kerajaan negeri merupakan pegawai utama yang akan bekerja bersama-sama dengan kerajaan negeri Selangor, maka perlantikan ini harus mendapat persetujuan daripada kerajaan negeri Selangor,” kata Lau (kiri).

Dalam satu kenyataan hari hari ini, Lau juga berkata, pelantikan mengejut dan mengemparkan Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi itu tidak sepatutnya diumum sebelum mendapat persetujuan kerajaan negeri.

Beliau berhujah, mengikut Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959 Perkara 52 (1), jawatan perlantikan ke jawatan itu hendaklah dibuat oleh Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan yang berkenaan dari kalangan anggota mana-mana perkhidmatan awam yang relevan.

“Oleh itu adalah jelas bahawa perlantikan jawatan setiausaha kerajaan negeri ini tidak semestinya dilantik oleh Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, malahan ia boleh dilantik daripada 'Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan yang berkenaan' termasuk Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Negeri Selangor,” katanya.

Lau juga berpendapat, kenyataan Ketua Setiausaha Negara Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan bahawa pelantikan Khusrin mendapat perkenan daripada Tuanku Sultan Selangor “mengelirukan”.

Ini kerana, tambahnya, tidak disebut dalam Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959 bahawa perlantikan jawatan itu perlu mendapat perkenan baginda.

MACC nabs federal dept head and Penang state agency senior officer

The Star

GEORGE TOWN: A federal department head and a Penang state agency senior manager have been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency for corruption.

Both men were arrested here Monday, Penang MACC director Datuk Latifah Md Yatim said.

She said the 44-year-old department head was arrested for asking and receiving a RM16,325 bribe from a contractor between 2008 and 2009 in relation to repairs and maintenance work.

She said the senior manager, aged 53, was arrested in relation to the supply of office equipment worth RM5,700 in 2006 which were never delivered.

Latifah said both men were expected to be charged in court on Tuesday.

Imbuhan RM500 hanya gimik politik pembangkang

Berita Harian

KUALA LUMPUR: Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Perguruan Kebangsaan (NUTP) menyifatkan tawaran imbuhan khas pendidik RM500 setiap bulan yang dibuat pembangkang sebagai tidak masuk akal dan ia sekadar gimik politik semata-mata.

Presiden NUTP, Hashim Adnan, berkata jumlah dijanjikan itu luar biasa kerana pembangkang perlu RM215 juta setiap bulan dan RM2.58 bilion setahun untuk menyalurkan imbuhan kepada kira-kira 430,000 guru di seluruh negara.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Perguruan Kebangsaan (NUTP) menyifatkan tawaran imbuhan khas pendidik RM500 setiap bulan yang dibuat pembangkang sebagai tidak masuk akal dan ia sekadar gimik politik semata-mata.

Presiden NUTP, Hashim Adnan, berkata jumlah dijanjikan itu luar biasa kerana pembangkang perlu RM215 juta setiap bulan dan RM2.58 bilion setahun untuk menyalurkan imbuhan kepada kira-kira 430,000 guru di seluruh negara.

“Pada saya amat tidak munasabah janji ditawarkan pembangkang... sangat tidak logik. Ia memang sukar dilaksanakan. Bagi pendidik ia tawaran lumayan tetapi saya kira ia mustahil dilaksanakan dan tidak lebih daripada janji politik saja.

“Selain itu, akan timbul persoalan kenapa hanya pendidik yang layak menerima imbuhan itu sedangkan penjawat awam lain juga sepatutnya menerima imbuhan sama,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, semalam.

Minggu lalu, pakatan pembangkang dalam konvensyen mereka di Pulau Pinang mengemukakan Program 100 Hari yang mengandungi sembilan perkara termasuk imbuhan perguruan RM500 sebulan.

Sambil melihat tawaran pembangkang tidak munasabah, Hashim sebaliknya mencadangkan kerajaan menyelaras elaun kos sara hidup (COLA) kepada RM300 untuk 1.24 juta penjawat awam termasuk dalam bidang perguruan.

Katanya, COLA yang sebelum ini diberikan kepada penjawat awam mengikut kawasan perkhidmatan perlu dikaji semula berikutan kenaikan kos sara hidup.

Pelantikan Mohd Khusrin sebagai SUK Selangor belum muktamad: MB

Berita Harian

SHAH ALAM: Pelantikan Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi sebagai sebagai Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Selangor (SUK) yang baru berkuat kuasa 1 Januari depan seperti diumumkan Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN) pagi ini, belum lagi muktamad.

Dalam satu kenyataan dari Pejabat Menteri Besar Selangor sebentar tadi berkata, Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim akan mengadap Sultan Selangor, Rabu ini berhubung tiga nama yang dihantar sebelum ini.

Pagi ini, Setiausaha Negara Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan dalam satu kenyataan mengumumkan Mohd Khusrin, 54, yang kini Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) menggantikan Datuk Ramli Mahmud, 56, yang menamatkan perkhidmatan pada 31 Disember ini.
Menurut Mohd Sidek, Mohd Khusrin, berkelulusan ijazah Sarjana Muda Ekonomi dalam bidang Pengurusan Perniagaan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, pernah menyandang jawatan Yang Dipertua Majlis Daerah Kajang dan Yang Dipertua Majlis Daerah Kuala Langat.

Ramli, yang sebelum ini menjadi Datuk Bandar Shah Alam dan Yang Dipertua Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya, telah berkhidmat dalam perkhidmatan awam selama 31 tahun.

Tempat Mohd Khusrin di Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor akan diambil alih oleh Pegawai Daerah Sabak Bernam Marzuki Hussin, 56, juga mulai 1 Januari.

Mohd Sidek berkata, pelantikan Mohd Khusrin dan Marzuki sudah mendapat perkenan Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Report politicians who seek favours, civil servants told

By Sarban Singh, TheStar

SEREMBAN: Civil servants must report to their superiors in writing if they are asked “favours” by politicians and the well-connected in the awarding of government contracts.
The directive covers recommendations of sila timbangkan (please consider), disokong dengan kuat (strongly recommended) and saya tiada halangan (no objections) made in all forms – written, spoken, email, telephone call or SMS – for contracts, permits, licences, citizenship and scholarship awards.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, who made this clear in a recent circular, stressed that all decisions must be based on merit.

“Recommendations made by politicians or influential people should not in any way influence the decisions of the Government. We have come up with a comprehensive set of rules to check this because civil servants are often caught in a bind with requests or recommendations from politicians and influential people,” he stated in the circular.

Sidek said any recommendation received in writing must be attached to the application file.

“If the favour is sought verbally, then the details of this communication, such as time and date, must be written and attached with the particular application,” he said, adding that once this was done, the civil servant concerned must report it in writing to his superior for further instructions.

If the civil servant is unable to do so for any particular reason, then he or she should report the matter to the government agency concerned.

“If the favour sought or recommendation made is related to a government contract, the matter should be reported to the Finance Ministry.

“If it is regarding permits or licences, then it should be referred to the relevant agencies,” he said, adding that if the favour sought was connected to a corruption or abuse of power case, the civil servant must report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said the directive was timely to prevent the abuse of power.

“Although most decisions are made based on provisions of the law, it is better to have such a rule so that there will be more transparency,” he said.

Omar said on the other hand, there were also civil servants who were active in politics and had easy access to politicians and could easily seek favours and recommendations from them.

“There are cases where civil servants had themselves obtained recommendations from ministers or Members of Parliament for scholarships and places in university for their children.

“Some even ask recommendations to get promotions. When this happens, it becomes a disadvantage to those who are not well connected,” he added.

A PRESIDENT, A QUEEN and TWO PMs

From Blog

According to The Nut Graph, studies by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that reveal that Malaysia has the highest civil servants-to-population ratio in the Asia Pacific. Then, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said Malaysia had a bloated civil service - Malaysia’s 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.

Last week, MP Liew Chin Tong revealed in his blog, that the Prime Minister’s Department’s allocation for 2010 is a whopping RM12 billion, not RM4 billion as some people may have perceived it to be. That's a lot of money! Like many Malaysians, I wondered why that department is NOT tightening the belt like what the rest of us are doing in the light of subsidy cuts and warnings of imminent bankruptcy by 2019.

Based on MP Liew's blog, I have summarized a few astounding facts:

A. Staff size of the PMD

Year: 1981
PM: TDM
Staff size: 4,414 staff in the PMD

TWENTY YEARS LATER

Year: 2001
PM: TDM
Staff size: 9,673 ( this is an increase of 119.14% after TWENTY YEARS)

Year: 2003
PM: Badawi
Staff size: 21,045 in 2003 (this is an increase of 117.564% in TWO YEARS)

Year : 2009
PM: PM Najib Razak
Satff Size: 25,332 (this is an increase of 20.37% over 6 years)

Year 2010
PM: PM Najib
Staff size: 43,544 people (this is an increase of 71.893% in ONE YEAR!!!!)

After that mathematical exercise, I decided to compare the budgets of our PM with that of the US President , Singapore PM and the Queen of England.

I was quite amazed that the information is readily available in the net.

Bekas KSN: KM tak sepatutnya gaduh

Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng, sepatutnya tidak bergaduh dengan Pegawai Kemajuan Negeri (SDO) Pulau Pinang Nik Ali Mat Yunus di khalayak umum, menurut Persatuan Alumni Pegawai Tadbir dan Diplomatik (PTD) di Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Presiden persatuan itu Tan Sri Sallehuddin Mohamed berkata prosedur yang baik untuk Lim ialah dengan melaporkan kepada Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) atau Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN) jika beliau tidak berpuas hati dengan pencapaian pegawai berkenaan dan memintanya untuk dipindahkan.

Sallehuddin, yang juga bekas KSN, berkata: "Kita percaya bahawa SDO itu, sebagai seorang pegawai awam yang sangat kanan, memang menyedari sepenuhnya kod etika perkhidmatan awam yang baik.

"Dalam kes ini, beliau mestilah dengan sangat marah di khalayak awam berikutan dengan kekecewaan yang sangat dan provokasi yang dilaporkan dalam akhbar."

Sallehuddin berkata persatuan itu memandang berat pergaduhan antara Ketua Menteri dan SDO Pulau Pinang yang dilaporkan dalam akhbar sejak seminggu lalu.

Beliau mengulas ketegangan antara Lim dan Nik Ali di mana Ketua Menteri itu didakwa telah membuat beberapa kenyataan mengkritik SDO tersebut berhubung antara lain isu perlombongan pasir di Balik Pulau.

"Sebagai kakitangan yang telah bersara yang telah berkhidmat pada kadar lebih 30 tahun dalam perkhidmatan awam dan sesetengah telah menjawat jawatan tertinggi dalam sektor awam, kita tahu bahawa ada prosedur dan prinsip tingkah laku kakitangan awam yang perlu dipatuhi.

"Salah satu prinsip ialah kakitangan awam diharap memberikan khidmatnya dengan kerajaan pada masa itu, dengan mana-mana parti politik yang berkuasa.

"Sehubungan itu, dalam konteks situasi di Pulau Pinang, adalah menjadi tanggungjawab semua kakitangan awam, termasuk pegawai persekutuan, di sana untuk berkhidmat dengan kerajaan negeri," katanya

- Bernama

Guan Eng takes on the Chief Secretary

By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng accused Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, today of preferring to defend his “little Napoleons” instead of upholding the integrity of the civil service.

Lim mocked the country’s top civil servant for speaking up for Penang State Development Officer (SDO) Nik Ali Mat Yunus, and challenged Mohd Sidek to admit if he planned on ending his career protecting “little Napoleons like Nik Ali”.

“Is the Chief Secretary going to end his career in a year’s time by defending these little Napoleons? Or will he defend the civil service, as a professional public administrative body?” he told a press conference in Penang this afternoon.

The DAP secretary-general claimed that the state had “suffered in silence” for the past two years with Nik Ali’s uncooperative ways and would continue to do so.

“Since the Chief Secretary does not want to replace him, then the status quo is maintained,” he said.

He claimed he had attempted to meet with Mohd Sidek a few months ago to discuss Nik Ali’s behaviour but the meeting had been cancelled.

“I tried but I failed. A few months back, an appointment was made but he cancelled it at the last minute even though I was in Kuala Lumpur.

“No new date was fixed,” he said.

Lim expressed disappointment at Mohd Sidek’s apparent readiness to support Nik Ali’s use of words like “biadap” (insolent) and “dayus” (coward) on a chief minister.

The spat between Nik Ali and Lim originated from Pulau Betong assemblyman Muhamad Farid Saad’s claims last week that illegal sand excavation was taking place at a plot in Kampung Kenanga, which had been earmarked for a government polytechnic.

Lim had responded to the allegation by saying that the state would not be able to probe the matter as Nik Ali had not been cooperative.

The accusation escalated into a verbal war between Nik Ali and Lim with the federal officer retaliating by calling Lim “insolent, uncivilised and a coward” during an Umno function.

Since then, other leaders including DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, and Mohd Sidek himself, have joined the fray, turning the spat into an all out battle between the civil service and the DAP.

Gaji 600,000 kakitangan awam disemak

Berita Harian

KUCHING: Kira-kira 600,000 kakitangan awam dalam Kumpulan Sokongan Satu dan Dua dijangka akan menerima durian runtuh apabila kerajaan difahamkan sedia menyemak tangga gaji mereka bagi membolehkan pendapatan melebihi RM40,000 setahun.

Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Pekerja Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam (Cuepacs), Omar Osman, berkata berdasarkan Model Baru Ekonomi (MEB), kerajaan menetapkan pendapatan rakyat di negara perlu melepasi AS$15,000 (RM48,000) dan sebagai permulaan semakan gaji kakitangan dilakukan.
Katanya, semakan ini membabitkan cadangan penghapusan kelayakan akademik Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) atau Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) berikutan ia dinaikkan kepada sekurang-kurangnya Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
“Ini bermakna kakitangan Kumpulan Sokongan Satu dan Dua seperti pemandu, pembantu tadbir rendah, tukang masak, atendan haiwan, penolong jururawat akan menikmati kenaikan gaji sekali ganda atau sekurang-kurangnya RM1,500.

“Mereka yang mahu menyertai perkhidmatan awam selepas ini perlu memastikan memiliki kelayakan sekurang-kurangnya SPM seperti diperkenalkan polis baru-baru ini melalui skim pengstrukturan mereka,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini, semalam

RM900 hingga RM7,500 bagi guru cemerlang

Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin hari ini mengumumkan ganjaran kewangan bersempena sambutan Hari Guru hari ini kepada pengetua, guru besar dan guru yang berjaya melonjakkan prestasi sekolah masing-masing.

Muhyiddin berkata mereka yang mencapai sasaran Indeks Petunjuk Prestasi (KPI) Kementerian Pelajaran yang ditetapkan bakal mendapat imbuhan wang tunai antara RM900 hingga RM7,500 mulai tahun ini.

"Selaras dengan konsep mengutamakan pencapaian dan keberhasilan, tawaran baru ini, ganjaran kewangan akan diberikan kepada pengetua, guru besar dan guru-guru yang berjaya melonjakkan prestasi sekolah masing-masing melepasi Skor Komposit 92 peratus bagi sekolah menengah dan 84 peratus bagi sekolah rendah.

"Pengetua dan guru besar yang mencapai sasaran KPI ini akan menerima ganjaran kewangan sebanyak RM7,500, lima peratus guru-guru (terbaik) sekolah berkenaan pula, iaitu berdasarkan tahap penilaian prestasi tahunan mereka, akan menerima RM1,800 dan guru-guru selebihnya lagi akan menerima RM900," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan sambutan Hari Guru Peringkat kebangsaan di Universiti Malaysia Pahang, di Kuantan hari ini.

Beliau yang juga Menteri Pelajaran berkata ganjaran kewangan itu merupakan satu suntikan baru kepada guru-guru untuk bekerja dengan gigih lagi bagi meningkatkan prestasi sekolah dan keberhasilan pelajar.

Muhyiddin berkata ganjaran kewangan itu tidak terbatas hanya sekali sahaja untuk setiap sekolah: "Kalau sekolah itu meneruskan usahanya untuk tahun berikutnya, ia akan dapat lagi ganjaran itu,".

Beliau berkata ganjaran kewangan itu akan diteruskan setiap tahun dan bagi tahun ini, pencapaian setiap sekolah akan dinilai selepas keputusan peperiksaan, sebelum ganjaran itu diberikan kepada mereka yang layak.

Terdahulu ketika berucap pada majlis berkenaan, Muhyidin turut mengumumkan beberapa inisiatif lain kepada golongan pendidik.

Antaranya, Lembaga Kenaikan Pangkat Perkhidmatan Pendidikan (LKPPP) telah meluluskan sebanyak 25,269 kenaikan pangkat bagi pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Siswazah (PPPS) dan Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Lepasan Diploma atau bukan siswazah sehingga April 2010 ini.

"Untuk mempercepatkan proses kenaikan pangkat, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam juga telah bersetuju supaya kenaikan pangkat berdasarkan tempoh perkhidmatan Gred DG44 dan DG48 bagi Pegawai Perkhidmatan Siswazah akan dilaksanakan Kementerian Pelajaran," kata Muhyiddin.

MS MS NHBeliau berkata Pegawai Perkhidmatan Siswazah yang memperoleh ijazah doktor falsafah juga akan menikmati kenaikan satu gred sekiranya memenuhi kriteria dan syarat yang akan ditetapkan Kementerian Pelajaran.

Selain itu, Muhyiddin berkata kerajaan juga sedang menimbangkan pelaksanaan beberapa inisiatif kenaikan pangkat berasaskan pencapaian yang lebih baik kepada mereka yang benar-benar menunjukkan kebolehan.

Ditanya mengenai syor yang dibuat oleh Jawatankuasa Khas Mengkaji Beban Tugas Guru, Muhyiddin berkata beberapa syor jawatankuasa berkenaan yang dipengerusikan Ketua Pengarah Pelajaran Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom, akan dilaksanakan secepat mungkin.

"Beberapa perkara yang saya sebutkan (dalam ucapan) akan dilaksanakan seberapa segera, itu antara sebahagian daripada perkara yang dikenalpasti jawatankuasa berkenaan," kata Muhyiddin.

Antara syor yang dikemukakan jwatankuasa berkenaan yang akan dilaksanakan segera antaranya, mengurangkan bilangan jawatankuasa di peringkat sekolah kepada jumlah yang lebih wajar.

"Pada masa ini terdapat sekolah yang mempunyai hampir 40 jawatankuasa dalam bidang pengurusan dan pentadbiran, kurikulum, hal ehwal murid dan kebersihan, keceriaan, keselamatan dan sebagainya.

"Pengecilan jumlah jawatankuasa akan dapat mengurangkan bebanan guru dan dapat memberi peluang kepada mereka untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada tugas hakiki," katan Muhyiddin.

Syor lain ialah mengkaji bilangan peperiksaan di sekolah dan ujian di peringkat sekolah yang dilihat terlalu banyak, menyusun semula tugas-tugas perkeranian di sekolah dan penyediaan kurusus-kursus yang bersesuaian untuk golongan pendidik.

Turut hadir Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran, Datuk Ir Wee Ka Siong dan Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.

- Bernama

Whistleblower gets show-cause letter

By Ding Jo-Ann
dingjoann@thenutgraph.com

PETALING JAYA, 13 May 2010: A doctor who went public with serious allegations of mismanagement and cronyism in an Orang Asli hospital in Gombak has continued to be targeted for her outspokenness.

Dr Selva Vathany Kanapathi Pillai told The Nut Graph she received a show-cause letter from the Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JHEOA) last month.

"The JHEOA asked me to explain why I took part in a Bar Council press conference without my department head Dr Saaiah Abdullah's permission," Dr Selva said in a phone interview.

"The letter said that if I did not reply with an adequate explanation, action would be taken against me."

The Bar Council press conference was held on 11 Feb 2010 to highlight Dr Selva's complaints about the Gombak hospital. It raised issues such as the high rate of malnutrition among Orang Asli children, and the use of hospital facilities by non-Orang Asli patients. This was despite the fact that the hospital was specifically set up to improve Orang Asli health.

The Bar Council had also called on the hospital to be placed under the purview of the Health Ministry instead of the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, which is currently the case.

Dr Selva was also present when Orang Asli representatives handed in a memorandum to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) on 16 March, complaining about poor services at the hospital.

JHEOA pressure

Dr Selva had earlier told The Nut Graph how she was sidelined by the hospital's management due to her raising of mismanagement issues.

Dr Selva (Courtesy of Bar Council)Shortly after she sent a formal complaint letter to the Health Ministry in late 2009, she was told she was to be transferred to Kedah.

"I am not under JHEOA's authority anymore because of my transfer. I am now directly under the Health Ministry," said Dr Selva.

"It doesn't make sense that I am sent a show-cause letter by the very department and people that I have been making complaints about."

Dr Selva was unable to supply The Nut Graph with a copy of the JHEOA letter as it was marked "sulit".

Dr Selva said the show-cause letter had also asked her to give an explanation about why she had participated in a demonstration in front of the Gombak hospital on 24 Feb 2010.

"I wasn't even at the hospital on the day of the demonstration," Dr Selva said. "I was already preparing to leave because of my transfer to Kedah."

The Nut Graph previously tried to reach JHEOA director-general Datuk Mohd Sani Mistam for comment on issues affecting the hospital, but was told he was away till 17 May. Requests for his deputy, Nisra Nisran Asra Ramlan, to respond were also in vain.

No resolution

Dr Selva is vexed that despite the recent attention the Gombak Hospital has been receiving, the authorities are focusing on issuing show-cause letters instead of dealing with the malnutrition issue among Orang Asli children.

"There is already a comprehensive Health Ministry food-basket programme in place. It is not just for the 'hardcore poor', as claimed by JHEOA's director-general, but for all malnourished children," said Dr Selva.

Under the programme, underweight children receive monthly food baskets from the Health Ministry. The children are monitored until they fall within the recommended weight for their age.

Joseph Entulu Belaun (Source:
parlimen.gov.my) On 17 April 2010, The Malay Mail reported that Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun had refuted Dr Selva's claims in Parliament.

He stated that a thorough investigation had been carried out, which showed that there was no truth to her statements.

"In short, she is lying," the deputy minister reportedly said.

Dr Selva, however, pointed out that the Rural and Regional Development Ministry was not the appropriate body to investigate her claims. "They are not medical practitioners, nor do they have expertise on medical ethics or medical management," she said.

"I have full faith that the Health Ministry would be able to conduct a fair and transparent investigation through the Malaysian Medical Council."

She added, however, that if concrete steps were not taken to improve the situation, she would not hesitate to raise the matter with international organisations such the World Health Organisation.

K'tangan awam naik gaji antara elemen MEB

Menaikkan gaji sejuta kakitangan awam di negara ini menjadi antara elemen utama bagi menjayakan Model Ekonomi Baru (MEB) kata Timbalan Menteri Kewangan Senator Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein.

Beliau berkata langkah itu bagi memastikan hasrat MEB untuk menjadikan rakyat di negara ini daripada golongan berpendapatan sederhana kepada rakyat berpendapatan tinggi.

"Langkah ini pernah dilaksanakan di Singapura beberapa tahun dahulu yang bertujuan untuk meningkatkan produktiviti sektor awam sekaligus menjamin pelaksanaan pembangunan yang cemerlang.

"Singapura telah menetapkan pendapatan gaji sektor awam yang tinggi dan selesa sehingga mereka berjaya meningkatkan prestasi ekonomi melalui peningkatan motivasi pekerja.

"Maka penjawat awam di negara tidak boleh diabaikan," katanya ketika berucap merasmikan majlis penutupan mesyuarat agung tiga tahunan Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Teknik Semenanjung Malaysia cawangan Kelantan di sini hari ini.

Awang Adek berkata kerajaan akan mengambil langkah tertentu bagi memastikan gaji para pekerja dinaikkan selaras dengan matlamat Model Ekonomi Baru (MEB) untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara maju yang berpendapatan tinggi.

Beliau berkata, secara purata kini 80 peratus rakyat di negara ini memperoleh pendapatan RM21,000 setahun dan dengan pelaksanaan MEB itu, kerajaan berhasrat untuk meningkatkan pendapatan rakyatnya kepada RM45,000 setahun.

- Bernama

'Common to pick envoys without diplomatic background'

NSTP

KUALA LUMPUR: Appointments of politicians and non-career diplomats as Malaysian envoys are a common practice.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay said the selection of envoys without diplomatic background was common in the foreign service.

"This is based on their talents, merits and a good track record, with Wisma Putra confident that non-career diplomats appointed as envoys can deliver," he told the New Straits Times.

Asked how selections were made, he said envoys were drafted from among the most talented and best suited for such foreign postings.

"It is also based on their overall performance and achievements over the past 10 to 15 years. If their service to the people has been good, then they can perform."

Kohilan said non-diplomats appointed as ambassadors and high commissioners were usually specialists in certain areas.

An envoy's term is on a contract of between three and four years, with the possibility of extension if they deliver. He added that besides politicians, non-career diplomats also included lecturers.

Kohilan was asked to comment on the appointment of former chief of defence forces, Gen (R) Tan Sri Dr Abdul Aziz Zainal as ambassador to France.

Aziz and three others received their instruments of appointment from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara on Thursday.

A politician who is currently serving as an ambassador is Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis, who is Malaysian ambassador to the United States.

Since its establishment, Wisma Putra has had the services of such personalities as Tan Sri Daniel Tajem, Datuk John Nuek and Tan Sri Jamil Johari (from Sarawak), and Tan Sri Thomas Jayasooria and Tun Fuad Stephens (from Sabah) either as ambassadors or high commissioners.

Former ambassador Datuk Deva Mohd Ridzam said, however, it was not advisable for non-career diplomats to be appointed envoys as there was a tendency for them to fall short of expectations.

"Without years of being in the rough and tumble of diplomacy from bottom up, there is a tendency for non-career diplomats to be hesitant, halting and lacking punch and bite in interactions with clients."

He said diplomacy was a profession which required specialised knowledge and skills and years of experience.

"For a career ambassador, his constituency is the nation and the government as a whole, so to speak.

"He is not partisan or beholden to any interest or individual."

400 Chinese turn up for MACC jobs

NSTP

By Minderjeet Kaur

KUALA LUMPUR: The long queue of about 400 Chinese young adults lining up for job interviews with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday is an indication that the community wants to work with the government, the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia said yesterday.

The association's honorary deputy secretary-general, Dr Chin Yew Sin, said the unexpected large turnout had dispelled the perception that the Chinese were not interested in joining the government service.

"Due to the perception, no one had expected such a big turnout. It was beyond our expectation as there are only 40 vacancies," he said.

The exercise is an MACC and Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia initiative to open the commission's doors to more non-Malays.

Some of the youths came from Penang and Johor, with the hopes of becoming MACC investigation officers and assistant investigation officers.

The interviews were scheduled from 10am to 2pm at the Chinese Assembly Hall here. Most of them were there at 8am.

MACC officers who had printed about 200 job application forms immediately started to print more copies.

Although only 10 per cent of the applicants would be offered jobs, Dr Chin said it was a good starting point.

The association would request the government to work with non-governmental organisations to encourage more Chinese youths to work in the civil service.

Dr Chin said the federation would also check if there were vacancies in the army and the Public Services Department for the Chinese community.

Dr Chin said some of the youths were fresh graduates while others were looking for better job opportunities.

"Some of them are here because they want to see the country free of corruption while others are here for better salaries and incentives," he said.

Degree holders would earn between RM3,000 and RM4,900 a month while diploma holders would receive RM2,500.

They are also entitled to allowances as well as RM200 to RM400 for housing and RM400 for entertainment.

MACC's assistant commissioner for corporate communications Zainal Adam said the good turnout showed MACC was well received by the Chinese community.

"We welcome them to join us to fight corruption in the country."

One of the applicants, Chan Saw Seng, 26, from Penang, said he applied for a job in MACC because there were few Chinese working in the government sector.

Hong Chin Chin, 24, a Universiti Malaya law graduate, said she wanted to be part of MACC to help fight corruption while Terence Ng, 23, a graduate of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, was attracted by the salary and incentives.

Our men among the best, says fire chief

NSTP

By Kristina George

PUTRAJAYA: After devoting 26 years of his life to saving lives, Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Hamzah Abu Bakar will miss the adventures of a firefighter when he retires in October.

"Over the past 26 years, I have watched the department grow from what I would call a shambles, into the now high-tech, highly developed buildings we now see in our communities.

"Back then, we not only had to make do with the most basic facilities offered to us, but we also had to deal with a lack of exposure and training as we were solely dependent on the local authorities and state government allocations."

He said, currently, the government spent billions of ringgit to ensure the department was kept up to date with the latest technology and state of the art facilities to provide better services.

Under the Eighth Malaysia Plan, the government set aside RM1.2 billion and later increased the allocation to RM1.4 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan once they realised the importance of further developing the department in the early nineties, he said.

He was speaking to reporters during a special interview in conjunction with the 35th National Firefighters Day celebrations held in Malacca yesterday.

"In a span of 35 years, we definitely have come a long way."

He said the department had already managed to achieve more than 96 per cent of its targeted key performance index, especially with regard to the rescue team's response time to emergency calls.

Hamzah said that there were three categories for each team to respond to an emergency call.

Category A comprises of calls made within the vicinity of the department or within the city which would entail firefighters reaching the emergency scene within 10 minutes of receiving the call, while category B comprises calls made from the borders of the towns that would entail firefighters responding to the call within 20 minutes.

He said in the case of category C, however, no specific response time could be set as calls made under this category were usually in the interior and remote areas that were not easily accessible.

"Take, for instance, a fire breaks out in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak where road connections are not easily accessible. There is no way of telling how long it would take for our teams to reach the emergency site."

Hamzah said apart from the emergency response time, the department had also managed to meet the international standards on the ratio of firefighters per population.

"The set standards are one firefighter to every 2,000 people in a population and we have achieved this with over 253 stations built within the communities nationwide."

He urged graduates with a minimum of a diploma to join the department, as there was a need for more specialists.

The department currently has five academies in Wakaf Tapai, Kuala Kubu Baru, Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

"Next month, the department will also beef up its air wing unit with the newly acquired Agusta AW139 and will see eight rotorcraft, including four existing Mi17 and two Agusta 109.

"We have 13 pilots at the moment but there is a need for more.

"A Reader's Digest survey said that we are one of the top five most trusted professions in Malaysia. Our jobs are no longer about simply putting out fires anymore.

"We also provide a complete career path in various other fields especially the science-related fields."

Yesterday's Firefighters Day celebrations saw more than 13,000 firefighters gathering at the Dataran Pahlawan Malacca to commemorate the firemen who died on duty and recognise those who have contributed significantly to the department.

"This line of duty is one that requires a huge deal of nobility as we have pledged to put other lives ahead of ours in line with our department's motto: Prepared to Save."

Rugi F41 urus meja bantuan

MERUJUK kepada surat Jurutelefonis, Putrajaya dalam akhbar ini bertarikh 23 April lalu bertajuk Pegawai Gred F41, Urus Meja Bantuan.

Meja bantuan diwujudkan sebagai pusat untuk menerima aduan dan memberi bantuan teknikal berkaitan komputer di sesebuah agensi.
Kementerian atau jabatan menempatkan juruteknik komputer Gred FT17 di meja bantuan kerana kebanyakan aduan adalah berkaitan masalah teknikal seperti kerosakan, perisian dan penyelenggaraan komputer.

Jika pertanyaan adalah khusus mengenai sistem, maka pegawai di meja bantuan akan menyalurkannya kepada pegawai yang terbabit dengan pembangunan sistem atau berkaitan.

Pewujudan jawatan juruteknik komputer, Gred FT17 adalah berdasarkan tanggungjawab yang merangkumi penyelenggaraan sistem komputer, aplikasi pengkomputeran dan operasi sistem dalam sesebuah organisasi. Adalah satu kerugian jika Pegawai Teknologi Maklumat (PTM) Gred F41 atau Penolong Pegawai Teknologi Maklumat (PPTM) Gred F29 ditempatkan di meja bantuan kerana PTM mempunyai skop tugas yang lebih besar.

UNIT KOMUNIKASI KORPORAT,
Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia Putrajaya