PUTRAJAYA: In order to succeed in life, civil servants cannot rely on prayers alone, as they must also work hard to realise their goals.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that success would not fall into our laps through doa alone, without much-needed effort being put in.
“This is contained in the Quran. Doing nothing will not bring success.
“As the machinery of the country’s administration, civil servants must keep this in mind at all times,” Dr Mahathir said in his address during the Prime Minister’s Department’s staff’s monthly assembly here, this morning.
Also present was Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
The Prime Minister also urged civil servants to take note of the lyrics of the new song Malaysia Bersih, which must now be sung following Negaraku and the morning ‘doa’ recited at the beginning of every assembly.
“Today, we sing the new song which has meaningful lyrics, urging us to focus on development and to uphold our independence.
“And, when we pray, we not only pray for ourselves, but also for our loved ones, this country and the people,” he added.
Dr Mahathir said the song and the “doa” encourage civil servants to give their all in ensuring the country’s success.
“We want others to respect us as a successful nation. This can be achieved based on the content of the song and the `doa’, coupled with (concerted efforts) in executing the duties entrusted to us,” he added.
In this respect, Dr Mahathir reiterated civil servants’ required values of being diligent, trustworthy, disciplined and responsible.
“If we can do this, we will succeed and others will respect this nation,” he said.
On the topics of corruption and abuse of power, Dr Mahathir said that civil servants have a certain amount of clout – even the “office boys” in the government sector.
The prime minister cited an incident involving an office boy of a magistrate who had the “authority” to decide who could meet the magistrate.
“It might be seen as a minor thing, but it could be the beginning of abuse of power,” the Prime Minister intoned.