IMPROVED GOVT SERVICE DELIVERY ESSENTIAL FOR 1MALAYSIA TO SUCCEED

IMPROVED GOVT SERVICE DELIVERY ESSENTIAL FOR 1MALAYSIA TO SUCCEED
By Syed Azwan Ali

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (Bernama) -- For 1Malaysia to succeed, the government's
service delivery, which interfaces with the country's 27 million population of
various races and faiths, must be improved first to inspire greater acceptance
of the concept, a media discussion was told.

The 1Malaysia concept espoused by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
essentially takes into consideration the interests and aspirations of all
communities in moving the country forward.

In other words, a place in the sun for all Malaysians.

The discussion was told that when there is more efficient delivery by the
government service, it will fit in with several core values of the
1Malaysia concept -- a culture of excellence, meritocracy, integrity
and loyalty -- and be in consonance with the newly-coined motto, "People First,
Performance Now" of the Najib administration.

And the people's satisfaction will be a good yardstick for the performance
of the current administration in time to come as disaffection with government
policies and delivery are said to be among the main reasons for the Barisan
Nasional's dismal performance in the 2008 general election.

"I think this whole idea of 1Malaysia is more on the administrative side,
the management of Malaysia," said the Director-General of the Malaysian
Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim), Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al Attas.

He said he was attracted by 1Malaysia's concept of equality, or "to put
something in the right place", in the administration promoted by Najib.

"In Islamic research, I would say we understand that this actually refers to
justice, and therefore, in this sense, we are saying that there is no
preferential treatment for one over the other.

"Justice, as you know, is not biased," said Dr Syed Ali, who heads the
institute which is responsible for increasing the understanding of Islam among
Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

He said the concept of equality in the administration would ensure that all
sectors would receive the same opportunities based on merit without taking into
account one's race, religion, political leanings or economic status.


"This proper and correct manner of administration should be done in order to
afford everyone their rightful place," he said when referring to the ills of
bureaucracy which had stifled good governance and administration.

He told the discussion, aimed at furthering the dialogue on the 1Malaysia
concept and understanding it better, that it was important for every civil
servant to understand his or her role as an "administrator" to facilitate
service to the people.

"Civil servants should realise that when it comes to multi-religious,
multi-cultural, multi-lingual considerations, they have nothing to do with the
theological or 'akidah' part. The government has no business in that. They are
only supposed to be responsible for the administration or 'pentadbiran'," he
said.

A. Vaithilingam, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), said each
decision of the government should be for the benefit of all races in the
country.

"For example, if justice is to be done, justice must be seen to be done.
There should be hearings for the people so that their grievances can be heard
before a decision is taken," he said in respond to a question from by Bernama
editor-in-chief Yong Soo Heong, who chaired the discussion.

"Policies of the government must be such that they are acceptable to
everyone," said Vaithilingam, who is also president of the Malaysian Hindu
Sangam.

He was referring to mixed marriages involving Muslims and non-Muslims that
had gone sour, resulting in disputes over the custody of children, property and
funerals.

Vaithilingam believed that these problems could be overcome through dialogue
under the umbrella of 1Malaysia, which is based on the promoted core value of
acceptance instead of tolerance, a vital ingredient towards greater national
unity.

"By doing that, I think we can overcome the difficulties in many fields," he
said.

Najib had said that what made Malaysia unique was the diversity of its
people.


"1Malaysia's goal is to preserve and enhance this unity in diversity which
has always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future," he had
said.

In his maiden speech as prime minister on April 3, Najib said his
administration would give priority to performance and the welfare of the people
without leaving anyone behind.

"We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left
confused by political games, deceit and showmanship" said the prime minister,
who also urged the people to come out of their "ethnic silos" to make 1Malaysia
a success.

Both Dr Syed Ali and Vaithilingam strongly agreed that emphasis should also
be placed on education, which would eventually spawn a culture of excellence
among Malaysians -- not just education which emphasises academic excellence but
also moral values like mutual respect, integrity and trust -- to ensure the
survival of the nation.


While Najib acknowledged that education and knowledge are important
prerequisites for any nation to succeed, he also stressed that education must be
viewed in a holistic manner where it has to be integrated with values as well.

"You must have a society which places education and knowledge at the apex of
everything," he said.

Education, being the pivotal foundation of it all, can unblock the blind
spots that may have held Malaysians back in the past to move forward in unison.

And education is also the key to effect a culture of excellence, integrity,
perseverance, humility, acceptance, meritocracy, loyalty and integrity for
1Malaysia to succeed.

As Najib said, a sense of new energy and optimism has been discerned. And
constant dialogue among Malaysians is the way forward to enable 1Malaysia to
gather greater momentum.

-- BERNAMA