IN the mid-1980s, I was asked informally by a Public Service Department officer, who was a colleague and friend, as to whom I was loyal to in the public service leadership. I replied to none of the names he suggested.

Then, in the late 1990s, a UTM professor asked me in a public setting, which of the two leaders of the government of the day was I loyal to?

I gave a crisp but forthright answer, that I supported the government of the day, and I have no personal loyalties to any specific leaders of the government.

After all, as RMC Old Puteras (alumni), we were trained to salute the flag, and on the flag, there are no faces.

In the earlier days, when only the best were sent to Intan, our training philosophy was towards “public service neutrality”. Public servants, or PTD officers, were not political appointees, but rather, selected by the Civil Service Commission, and therefore, must remain totally neutral.

But alas, over the many years of Umno rule, and supported by Umno zealots and sycophants, there was always a debate as to whether public servants can and should take part in political events hosted by the various parties of the government. Many government officers were invited to participate in party congresses, and many did.

All this was, however, done in the name of sensitivity to political realities and awareness of government policies, especially those related to Bumiputera economics and the New Economic Policy.

Embedded corruption

It becomes a slippery slope once the objective standards of “professional decision-making” are compromised in favour of unprofessional and biased decision-making by public servants.

Therefore, I am truly not surprised by reports in the media, made public by the Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption led by former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed, that almost 30 public servants were granted “biased and non-objective promotions” as a result of bias and the corruption of public service values.

When PTD officers lose their professionalism and objectivity, we get a situation where partisan interests are promoted in favour of political parties and their warlords.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the promotions board of the Public Service Department was always chaired by the chief secretary, and two board members would be the Finance Ministry secretary-general and Public Service Department director-general.

Sometime in the 1980s, the same promotions board was expanded to include two other heads of professional services, namely the directors-general of the Public Works and Health Departments.

These promotions were always a delegated responsibility, and needed the full consensus and agreement of the Public Services Commission (PSC). No public service matter, like promotions or demotions, could be done or authorised without the concurrence of PSC, the highest appointing authority for the government of the day.

Therefore, I fail to understand how these 30 officers could be promoted without due process, unless we are also saying that PSC itself had failed in its duties, too. If this is true, then what we are saying is that the corruption of the public service in Malaysia is deeper than what we had assumed.

Not just the PTD service would be corrupt, but obviously, the appointing commissions, too, had failed badly in doing their job. The reality of such blind compliance and loyalty to the Umno agenda for the government of the day was the overriding objective, not good public policy per se.

As an ex-PTD officer, who served in the public service for 32 years, I say that I am disgusted by the extent of bribery and corruption within all the major bodies and systems originally designed for good governance. – September 30, 2018.

* 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.