JUST this week, we have had three cases where the credibility of the civil service has been damaged. 

The first, some RM100 million has been siphoned out by civil servants, including from the funds allocated in a programme for feeding poor students in our national schools. So far, this story is still developing without anyone being charged. 

According to the news, this scandal involves five ministry officers and ten companies. 

Secondly, a South Korean student based in Nilai has been acquitted of a mandatory death sentence for drugs after it was revealed that a member of the police lied in open court. Hopefully, the government will charge the officer involved for perjury. 

He was apparently proven to have lied following CCTV evidence. Yet another reason we need more of these devices nationwide. 

Thirdly, a coach for the diving team has now been arrested after being accused of raping an athlete. The coach has now been suspended and is also facing an internal investigation. Just last year, the same ministry came under fire when RM107 million was misappropriated. 

In all three cases, the civil service in the form of anyone under the government payroll has been compromised. But more importantly, all three are in fact criminal cases. As such, there is no need to wait to put all three on suspension pending the results. 

Thank God in this sense, the Minister of Youth and Sports has done exactly this. Though, perhaps, he should conduct the internal investigation after the police are done?

All of these are also the more recent cases, compared to the multiple cases before this including doctors giving out fake medical chits, and even members of the police being awarded good service awards before being discovered they had asked for a RM10,000 bribe. 

This is where the civil service truly needs reform before any promises are made to increase salaries or even provide better benefits. The integrity and credibility of the civil service needs to be boosted before we make any promises. 

As such, what promises can the civil service guarantee before getting its house in order, especially now that it is demanding a doubling of their paycheques?

Will they be able to deal with meeting corporate standards, which is already being the move for the Customs Department?

Will they be able to guarantee the support of an immediate suspension whenever facing criminal investigations even before being charged?

Can we do more about disciplinary action within the civil service rather than a mere transfer whenever there has been any complaints regarding racism and abuse?

And furthermore, can we expect the Malaysian Anti Corruption Council (MACC) to be truly independent rather than adding more layers on top of it? Can we instead make it truly independent, by allowing them to proceed without going through the Attorney General’s Chambers?

Do we really need an Integrity Department to add yet another layer, just to appease and increase budgets to a certain minister? In fact, don’t we already have non-government organisations and the media to be the watchdog?

Yes, our teachers deserve better pay. Our police officers deserve better pay. Our armed forces deserve better pay. All deserve proper pensions for their service which tallies with the cost of living whenever they retire. 

But all these privileges and benefits must be balanced by better service, integrity and the need for professionalism. 

We don’t need the civil service to be policing dress codes, but policing proper crime. We don’t need the civil service chasing down foreign academics, but instead one that provides a proper debate. 

We don’t need a civil service that goes about bringing people to court over balloons and continuing such cases, but one that insists that the judiciary puts priority on larger scale crimes. 

What we do need are civil servants who can better serve the public at large. The ones that go above and beyond their duty to ensure the people they serve go through it comfortably. The ones who raise red flags whenever they notice the actions of their peers may ruin their credibility and reputation as a whole. 

We need a civil service that portrays the best of Malaysia, not the worst; the racist and the overzealous over a skirt. We don’t need a civil service that bans books and movies, but one that promotes and provokes the discussion and discourse over these materials. 

Unfortunately, we are stuck with simply buying out votes of the civil service rather than address their misrepresentation of Malaysia through bonuses and salary increases.

Until the civil service goes through this renaissance of their image and abilities, then it must be said that whatever is being promised by this government in the upcoming budget for no such guarantees is nothing more than a politically motivated vote buy. – October 6, 2017.

* Hafidz loves to ruffle feathers and believes in the EA Games tag line of challenging everything. Most times, he represents the Devil’s Advocate on multiple issues.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.