最近，一名国会议员在国会询问了有关马来西亚公务员问题，一道看似单纯，但却可推演为不必要的挑衅问题。有关问题询及公务员的种族细分，以及政府是否有计划使公务员体系更能反映首相依斯迈沙比里倡导的“大马一家”概念。
大多数人似乎不晓得马来西亚公务员体系是多元种族的。如首相署部长阿都拉迪指出，在120万公务员总数中，马来人占了98万7333人、华人7万3190人、砂拉越土著6万0084名、沙巴土著5万9978人、印裔4万7751人、原住民2417人和其他族群8698人。
在公务员体制里，56等级以上的高官职位中，3300人为马来人、386人是华人、240名印裔、74位沙巴土著、53人砂拉越土著、原住民3人和其他族群42人。
种族细分表明，没有一个种族被排除在外。我们的公务员队伍中可能有多达10个或更多的种族类别。也许是可以进入健力士世界纪录。
马来西亚如何实现如此种族多元化的公务员体系，确是一项壮举。这也是政府不想吹嘘的大事。事实上，我们历任首相甚至媒体都不敢与公众分享这一点。过去，类似的课题不幸的在《官方机密法令》下被掩盖了。今天，“大马一家”的精神——而不是“主权至上”——打开了通往透明的新时代大门，在这个时代，当局难于保密和审查。
马来西亚在推动多元种族公务员体系方面取得令人难以置信成就，这可以归功于独立以来政府长期在公共领域实行“公正”、“公平”和“透明”的招聘和晋升的政策结果。
探本溯源，独立前，李特宪制委员会成员曾建议将种族配额制纳入宪法第153条文，给予马来族群和沙巴和砂拉越原住民特权。这包括在公务员和其他领域实施固打制。作为平衡，该委员会也强调了维护其他族群合法利益的重要。
但联盟和后来的国阵政府却发现，对公务员体系实行固打制度是不必要的。因此，这也意味著其他族群的利益没有得到维护或保证。
对历史的否定
正如阿都拉迪所解释的，以及官方记录中显示，政府在公务员录取上没有实施种族或族群配额。用他的话说，“公共服务委员会的所有招聘都是基于个人绩效与能力。这是为了确保只有最优秀和最佳的人选才能被选为公务员。”
“公务员的录用或晋升没有基于种族和族群的配额。所有马来西亚人都享有平等的机会，因为这是基于公开和公平的竞争。”
这可能是国会下议院里，对历史的否定主义，最极端表述。
政府的答复当然可一劳永逸回应了那些“恶意”指当局在公务员系体中实行歧视性政策的批评者。
可是，不幸的是，在公务员体系里的确存在著某族群在数量上的优势。但这绝不是政府的错。
根据民事雇员职工总会主席拿督阿德南说法，这种情况完全是非马来族群拒绝申请公务员职之错，而不是因为公共服务局或政府实施种族偏差政策。
在声援政府时，阿德南称，指责政府偏差，是“严重且毫无根据”的指控。他还警告“各方不要为了自己的政治利益而利用公共服务作为课题”。还好，他没有将这些行为称之“叛国”，这也意味著我们依然可以预期，这个具争议课题，会继续遭到怀有质疑精神的公众质问。
无论如何，马来西亚人应该感到自豪和感恩，因为我们不仅在公务员队伍中展示了“大马一家”，而且最高级别的公务员，如秘书长和总监级别的公务员，可谓是本国人力资源的“精英”。他们将我们的公共服务提升到了“世界级”，除却了首相最近所确认的一个领域——英语水平。
规模很重要
从每个重要环节上言——领导力、能力、效率、创造力、解决问题能力上——我们公务员体系拥有过多的全国最优秀人才，他们为获得所有荣耀的政治主子提供建议，卑微的公务员则执行了独立和政治中立的政策制定工作，低调有效的完成社会和经济的重组。
我们的公务员队伍中不只有最丰富人才。廉洁奉公、献身精神、拒绝任人唯亲、热心公益、透明、负责任，并致力于不分种族和宗教地提供服务——我们高级公务员的这些品质从未被报导过。相反，有人试图挑起此课题，并对此批评。
当下，更多的焦点在公务员的庞大规模及其在国家预算中的开销，这可能会使马来西亚破产。批评者需要了解，规模是很重要。此外，便宜也是没好货的。这也是为何政府一直确保公务员——即使非马来人继续没与趣申请或拒绝加入为国家服务下——将在规模、预算和地位上有所增长（公务员垄断丹斯里、拿督和其他各种封衔的分配，只是部分事实）。
预计即将到来的财案和大选，将再次为政府和财政部提供机会，以表达国家对公务员的感激之情。
后记，我们依然有必要肯定许多默默无闻的公务员所做的出色工作。
林德宜《公务员体系狂想》原文：Don’t Play Play With The Civil Service
Recently a member of Parliament asked what appears to be an innocent but construed to be unnecessarily provocative question about the Malaysian civil service. The question was on the breakdown of the racial composition of the civil service and if the government has any plan to make it more representative of the “Keluarga Malaysia” concept promoted by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Most people do not seem to be aware that Malaysia already has a multiracial civil service. As clarified by minister in the prime minister’s department Abd Latiff Ahmad, of the total number of 1.2 million civil servants, 987,333 comprised Malays, 73,190 Chinese, 60,084 Sarawak Bumiputeras, 59,978 Sabah Bumiputeras, 47,751 Indians, 2,417 Orang Asli and 8,698 others.
As for the top posts (super scale) above the Grade 56 category, 3,300 are Malays, 386 Chinese, 240 Indians, 74 Sabah Bumiputeras, 53 Sarawak Bumiputeras, three Orang Asli and 42 others.
The racial composition breakdown shows that no racial group has been left out. There may be as many as 10 or more racial communities in our civil service. Perhaps a world record which can go into the Guinness records.
How has Malaysia achieved such a fantastically racially diverse civil service is quite a feat. It is also a big thing which the government does not want to brag about. In fact all our Prime Ministers and even the media have been shy in sharing this with the public. In the past, such an issue unfortunately would have been covered by the Official Secrets Act. Today the spirit of “Keluarga Malaysia” - and not “Ketuanan” - has opened the door to a new era of transparency in which there will be few secrets and censorship by the authorities.
Malaysia’s incredible achievement of a multiracial civil service can be seen as the outcome of a long term dedicated ‘impartial’, ‘fair’ and ‘transparent’ recruitment and promotion policy in the sector practised since independence.
As background the Reid Commission members had recommended that a racial quota system was to be implemented as part of Article 153 to give the Malay community and natives of Sabah and Sarawak special privileges. This included the implementation of a quota system in the civil service and other sectors. The Commission had also, as balance, emphasised the importance of safeguarding the legitimate interests of other communities.
But the Alliance and Barisan Nasional governments found the imposition of any quota system to be unnecessary for the civil service. Hence this also implied that there was no need to safeguard or guarantee the interests of the other communities.
As explained by Abd Latif and now finally recorded in the official records for posterity, the government does not impose any quota for the intake based on race or ethnicity. In his words, “All recruitment by the Public Services Commission is based on merit and competency. This is to ensure only the best and quality candidates are chosen as civil servants.”
“There is no quota based on race and ethnicity in the intake or promotion of civil servants. All Malaysians are given equal opportunity as it is based on open and fair competition.”
This is historical negationism taken to possibly its most extreme articulation in the Dewan Rakyat.
Ending Public Debate on Civil Service Matters
The Government’s response should for once and all time answer critics who have ‘mischievously’ alleged that that the government practises discriminatory policies in the civil service.
Of course, it is unfortunate that there is a numerical superiority of one community. But this is through no fault of the government.
According to the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) President, Datuk Adnan Mat, this situation is entirely the fault of the non-Malay communities who have refused to apply for civil service jobs and not because the Public Services Department (PSD) or the government is practising race-based bias.
In supporting the government, Adnan described the allegation as “serious and baseless”. He also warned “all quarters not to use the public service for their own political interests". But he stopped short of calling it “anti-national” so that we can expect this controversial issue to continue being raised by a sceptical public.
Malaysians should be proud and thankful that not only do we already have a “Keluarga Malaysia” in the civil service but the highest rank of superscale officers such as the Secretary Generals and Director Generals comprise the ‘creme de la creme’ of the country’s human resources. They have turned our civil service into a ‘world class’ one, lacking in perhaps one area recently identified by the Prime Minister - the standard of English.
In every other important aspect - leadership, competency, efficiency, creativity, problem solving skills - we have a surfeit of the best talent in the nation that has advised the political masters who have gained all the glory whilst the humble civil servant has carried out the totally independent and politically neutral work of policy making and restructuring society and economy quietly and effectively.
But brains are not only in super abundance in our civil service. Incorruptible, dedication to service, resistance to cronyism, devotion to the public welfare, transparent, accountable and committed to helping irrespective of race and religion - these everyday qualities of our senior civil servants are never reported on. Instead there are attempts made to single them out for criticism.
Today too the focus is on the size of the civil service and its cost in the national budget which may bankrupt Malaysia. Critics need reminding that size matters. Also if you pay peanuts you will get monkeys. That is why the Government has consistently ensured that the civil service - even if non Malays continue to avoid applying or refuse to join in serving the nation - will grow in size, budget and status (it is only partially true that civil servants have a monopoly of Tan Sri-ships, Dato ships and miscellaneous other titles).
Expect that the coming budget and general elections will again provide the Government and Treasury the opportunity to show the nation’s appreciation to our civil service.
Postscript
It is necessary to acknowledge the good work carried out by many unsung civil servant heroines and heroes.
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