PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) efforts in combating corruption in the civil service are commendable, but the agency should expand its horizons and neutralise the source — bribe givers, said Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Datuk Seri Borhan Dolah.
He said stopping bribe givers — the host of the virus — would end corruption among civil servants.
MACC statistics from 2014 to June this year show that graft is rampant among civil servants. They make up 46.3 per cent of 4,860 people arrested for graft in the period.
Most of the offences were committed by staff handling procurement.
“If we educate the public not to give bribes, then there won’t be a culture of accepting bribes.
“The remaining 54 per cent of the statistics might be made up of those who bribe civil servants,” he told the New Straits Times in an interview at his office here.
He said this served as an enabler and catalyst for the acceptance of bribes by civil servants.
The survey compiled by MACC revealed that 22.1 per cent of respondents in the public sector said they were willing to accept bribes if they were in a position of power.
However, he said, the government had been active in raising awareness to keep the public sector free of corruption.
Under the National Anti-Corruption Plan, Borhan said PSD was the monitoring and executing body for civil servants.
“Every agency will have its targets and we will report to the Special Cabinet Committee on our progress.
“There are plans, quick wins within six months and long-term actions under the Public Service Reform Plan.”
The public sector has turned to digital methods to cut down bureaucracy and indirectly prevent under-the-table bribery.
“Remember paying bills or getting your documents through runners? Now, with technological advancements, we can decrease the likelihood of people giving money under the table to our officers to ensure their documents are ready on time,” Borhan said.
There is the Value Audit Management System, or Sistem Pengurusan Audit Nilai (SPAN), to educate, monitor and strengthen the integrity of the civil service against corruption and negative public perception.
Borhan said he hoped the government would also help in cleaning up the public sector, adding that PSD would fight graft.
“The government must trust us. We will do the cleaning up, but the government must back us up.
“If there are corrupt officers, they should be stripped of their positions, with no interference from higher officials.
“We must have patience and work towards a cleaner Malaysia.”
He wished the public would understand civil servants’ responsibilities.
“My advice to officers and staff: don’t be afraid of anything if you follow the rules and, hopefully, the people will also understand officers’ and staff’s roles in their departments.”
NO INCREASE IN WAGES
In light of the data on corruption, it was suggested that wages in the public sector be increased.
Borhan said increasing civil servants’ wages was not a viable solution to corruption.
“There is no evidence nor study that shows an increase in wages can eliminate or prevent corruption or abuse of power.
“It is because money will never be enough.
“For example, if an officer used to drive a Proton Saga, he would want to drive a Mercedez. So having more money won’t prevent abuse of power and bribery.”
He reminded civil servants of their main role — to serve the country.
He said in the end, it depended on whether civil servants wanted to contribute to society and serve their country.
“We are not here to get rich, but to contribute to society, the country and to uphold the nation’s pride.”
On civil servants having two jobs, Borhan said there was no problem as long as it did not affect their performance and working hours.
“If there are those who want to find extra income outside their working hours, that is allowed, as long as they obtain approval from their supervisor.
“We have been educating our officers and staff on managing their money to ensure they spend within their means.
“It is understood that their reasons (for having another job) are to make their and their family’s lives more comfortable.”
RIGHTSIZING THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Borhan acknowledged that this was a long-debated issue in the public sector.
He said it was unfair for the public to compare the country’s 1.6 million civil servants with the size of the civil service in other countries.
Under the Constitution, the civil service includes the armed forces, the public education and public health sectors, which require the most manpower.
“If there is a need to measure, then we can focus on certain areas. Without taking into account the three sectors, we have 616,718 officers and staff (up to May last year), which equal to a 1:51 ratio. This means our public sector size is still ideal.”
On filling out long-vacated civil service positions, he said there were checks to see whether the positions needed to be filled urgently.
He said there were some 100,000 vacancies out of 1.7 million positions.
He said 1.6 million positions were filled, with 30,000 to 40,000 vacancies created through retirement annually.
“Under our rightsizing policy, every time a position is vacated, we will need to obtain approval for it to be filled and see whether it is necessary.
“If the department says there is no need for a replacement or if the position has not been filled for more than two years, then the position will be removed.”
He said civil servants would not be terminated, but “remainders” would be sent to other departments and given training if required.
“There is no sacking, but more rationalising of numbers to ensure the civil service runs efficiently.
“The department is not getting smaller just because 40,000 officers and staff have retired. Not all positions will be filled, but roughly 5,000 officers will be sent to private or government-linked companies,” he said, adding that this move would not include positions in the armed forces and education and health sectors.