AFTER university education, I decided to purse my public service dream. I applied and attended interviews with FELDA, MAS, and NPC. Finally, I was interviewed by the Public Service Commission and was recruited into the Malaysian Civil Service or MCS, as it was called then.

Later, with the merger of the MCS and the Malay Administrative Service, we came to be known as the Home of Foreign Service.

I joined the PTD, or the Administrative and Diplomatic Service Corps of the Government of Malaysia, in 1972 and served for 32 years. I would therefore like to use my writings as a framework to educate and inform the younger Malaysians about true nature of what was “our calling” into the public services of Malaysia; regardless of the specific calling whether in the Medical, Dental, Engineering or Foreign Affairs, or any other field of service.

Yes, it is always a calling and not meant for everyone. It is only meant to those who want to “serve the other” without fear or favour, as the late Tan Chee Khoon’s called his column in The Star. I responded to the same calling, on the 6th of July of 1972, after my RMC classmate and I were interviewed by the Public Service Commission at Jalan Young, now renamed to erase history.

All these public service institutions, within many Commissions now, were always designed to become Royal Commissions were intentioned originally to be committed to neutrality, honesty, and truthfulness on behalf of the Conference of Rulers and all other institutions of Governance. Most have, I fear become rotten to the core, abdicating and abandoning their public service neutrality principle.

Professional conduct

Therefore, when the IGP, or the AG, or the KSN behaves “unprofessionally” we know that the real rot of the public service has started and we simply need to put an end to it. The only Ruler who I think today has moral audacity to make this right appears to be the Sultan of Johor.

Our Conference of Rulers must therefore learn to stand up and say “No” to the “power elites of governance as a matter if moral audacity!”

Recently, they did just that.

Recently, I have tried to relearn politics 101,“using the reports of real politics in the US” through CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera about the potential nature and purpose of our Public Service. I have also sought to learn from the formal high quality and standards of good governance; whether they are now good, bad, or ugly. Every so often I read relevant books which highlight the obvious discordance between all these espoused theories and our theories-in-use.

My real political interests however relate to ethics and morality of real-life- politics and how, we as ordinary citizens, inevitably become victims of much poor public policy planning, bad decision-making and terrible scientific analysis. I then choose to write about them. Professionalism is not only about ethics of conduct but it is also truthfulness about our lived lives.

Dangers of partisan public servants

Unlike the American system of partisan political appointments of officials such as Chief of Staff, the Malaysian Cabinet Secretary is not appointed by the Prime Minister or the Conference of Rulers, but rather selected and appointed by a Public Service Department Committee, after consultation with the Prime Minister or the Cabinet. The selection committee is chaired by the current and serving Chief Secretary.

Therefore, observing their current performance, or lack of performance, by the last two Cabinet Secretaries in their current public and official capacities, allow me to ask an even more serious Public Policy question: Can we afford Cabinet Secretaries who are no more neutral and non-partisan especially about public place truths and learning from the mistakes of the past, when we are no more sincere about life and realities? – October 16, 2017.

* KJ John worked in public service for 32 years, retired, and started a civil group for which he is chairman of the board. He writes to inform and educate, arguing for integration with integrity in Malaysia. He believes such a transformation has to start with the mind before it sinks into the heart!

* 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.