My recent column on the deliverables of civil servants, a topic very much in the news these days, attracted much attention.
The matter of their performance or lack thereof usually attracts interest for it's about an institution that has some 1.7 million employees and counting.
One party may lay claim that it has performed above par, and the other will certainly dismiss such chest-beating bravado and pooh-pooh that there's much to be desired, especially with the recent misplaced priorities on other people's attire.
With so many eager to jump on the bandwagon to state their case, let me say this: it all boils down to the fact there's no smoke without fire.
In the light of many happenings (read: shortcomings), it was timely that Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Zuki Ali recently engaged his top civil servants for a serious pep talk.
In his lengthy speech covering 79 pages, I particularly liked his use of the catchphrase "tenacity of purpose" when talking about its usefulness for their work.
I was also tickled by Zuki's belabouring over the term "sense of urgency" when he took pains to tell his charges to differentiate it from that of "an urgent matter"!
Zuki explained that "having a sense of urgency makes us view a matter as important and complete the task associated with it swiftly". He went on to say that "a person who upholds a sense of urgency would not wait for something to happen before taking action. Acting quickly will drive us to be proactive in handling any matter." Well said.
Zuki emphasised the importance of civil servants remaining committed to their work despite changes in the political landscape and sticking to their script for a better Malaysia.
To drive home the point of their much-needed loyalty for the wellbeing of the nation, he even quoted renowned British economist John Maynard Keynes, who said that "no matter how powerful the economic engine is, it will not perform well as long as one crucial part is malfunctioning".
There you are. Everybody needs to act in unison to get this country out of its rut. It's not someone else's responsibility. It's our duty to make this country great again.
Again emphasising the importance of being proactive, especially for those who work in entities or departments recognised as strategic enablers under the Malaysia Madani concept, he said key initiatives should be clearly explained to the people instead of letting so-called touchpoints sit pretty or be hidden in working papers.
He didn't mince his words when he called for greater empathy in the civil servants' work ethics. He put it so simply: place yourself in the shoes of those who come to seek your services.
In this respect, he zero-ed in on the provision of counter services, where the Immigration Department and Road Transport Department stand out.
Saying that those who sought services from government departments always had high expectations of speedy service delivery, Zuki lamented the hardships of those who had to come to government offices at the break of dawn to queue for numbers before they could access certain counter services.
In his capacity as being at the "top of the heap" of the civil service, the "ketua setiausaha negara" or KSN even wondered aloud on behalf of his employees whether greater digitalisation could solve such problems with such queue numbers to be obtained online at all times of the day!
Again, espousing the need for greater accountability, Zuki quoted American political scientist Francis Fukuyama, who stated that "an accountable government is responsible to the people it governs".
To ensure that his exhortations didn't fall on deaf ears, Zuki made reference to the civil servants' pledge of loyalty and sense of commitment when they joined the government service.
To drive home this key point, he quoted a Malay proverb, kerbau dipegang pada talinya, manusia dipegang pada janjinya (a buffalo is held by its rope, a person by his or her promise).
The writer is a former Bernama chief executive officer and editor-in-chief
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
