KUCHING, Feb 12 — Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh today called for a restructuring of the state civil service to reflect the state’s multiracial demographic.
He said the salary scheme may not be the key factor in deterring non-Malays from joining the civil service, noting that others had said similar.
“We have to look at the entire system itself.
“Only via such a thorough restructuring will the issue of one predominant race bureaucracy being biased against other community groups be avoided,” he said.
Wong, who is also Bawang Assan assemblyman, was responding to Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg’s recent remarks that the current low starting salaries were deterring ethnic Chinese from applying for jobs in the state civil service.
Unlike most other states in Malaysia, the Sarawak government accepts those who have graduated with the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) issued by vernacular Chinese schools.
Wong recalled the state government saying in the past that recruitment for the state civil service would reflect the racial composition in Sarawak, adding that it does not seem to have happened yet.
He said a structured change to bring about a more representative civil service will help foster better interracial relationships as well as bring greater unity and greater sense of belonging of all communities to the state.
“We must know that public service is all powerful,” he said, adding that it covers all the ministries and their departments, statutory bodies and local councils and authorities.
He said the public service sector is powerful since it helps to formulate, interpret and implement policies which affect the everyday life of each and every member of the society.
He stressed any unreasonable decision would create discontent and dissatisfaction not just among those who are affected but also the communities concerned at large.
“We therefore must ensure that , in effecting changes in the civil service, selection and promotion must be based on merit, qualifications and service rather than any other criteria,” he said.
He added that this would also dispel the view among non-Malays that there is little prospect for career development and their career upward pathway in the civil service.
Wong said race should not be a factor in public service appointments and in promotion exercises as Sarawak does not lack for talent.
“So long as a candidate is a Sarawakian and is qualified to do the job, he or she should be given an equitable chance to be selected for the job.
“If some of those whose skills and talents are being excluded from the public service, then those human resources would be denied the chance to serve the country,” he said.
