Come December, the million-odd civil servants throughout the country will receive a pay rise of more than 13 percent. The last revision was made 12 years ago. Most deserve it, but not all.
Malingering as a public service culture hasn't disappeared. A few evade duty by pretending to work. Visit government offices, and one notices a few seats vacant very early in the morning. This is most noticeable in departments that deal with the public. Who knows what happens beyond our ken? If one is into the game of spotting them in canteens, a rich harvest is guaranteed.
Ages ago, before the introduction of clocking-in, one diligent director-general of a government department did exactly that, and what a harvest he came up with. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is, therefore, right to say that annual salary increments shouldn't be automatic; they must be performance-based.
Granted, Anwar was speaking in the context of time-based promotions for teachers, but the principle must apply to civil servants of all stripes. Civil servants are paid to produce something, and if that is delayed, defective, or not delivered at all, their performance is, to that extent, deficient. No customer will pay for a blemished or unfinished product. Why should the government? A malingering civil servant and his diligent colleague can't be remunerated the same way. It will be unjust to treat them the same. The lazy, the undisciplined or the incompetent, and the diligent and disciplined can't belong to the same class.
Performance-based pay is designed to promote result-based remuneration. But implementing such a system isn't without challenges. The private sector, where it first started, offers a bank of lessons. But one important issue for the Malaysian civil service is how to get an ancient behemoth built on security and stability of tenure to one driven by performance.
Not easy, but there is a whiff of change in the air, thanks to the nation's financial and debt issues. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. If in the past, people signed up for the civil service because it guaranteed jobs for life, now it is not uncommon for new recruits to be put on contract.
Perhaps this gives the civil service an opportunity to see if the person is a performer or not—a tenure of probation of sorts. It also gives the one on contract the chance to see if he fits in well in the work environment. It has come to our knowledge that a few fresh graduates on contract have not had their contracts renewed. It is unclear if the reason is performance-related or due to budgetary issues.
Things are changing, but not quickly enough for the people. The Auditor General's Reports support such a conclusion. Government entities of every name and size make their infamous appearance in the reports. Some even make a reappearance. Yet, it is business as usual until another AG Report falls on the prime minister's table with a heavier thud. Like it or not, the AG Report is a key performance indicator. It must be treated as such.