by AFIQ AZIZ/ pic by TMR FILE

THE civil servant should always be neutral and uphold their promise to serve the people, said Public Service Department (JPA) DG Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman (picture).

Mohd Khairul Adib said the public sector faces challenges as feedback from the people are more inclined to the sector being inefficient in delivering their task.

He said there is also a perception that some government officers are less loyal to the government of the day, despite the latter receiving the mandate from the people.

“If you read the blogs today and the comments online on the civil service, we will feel that the civil service is not taking any sides as if we are in our own castle,” Mohd Khairul Adib said at the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030) forum with the top civil servants in Kuala Lumpur (KL) yesterday.

“What are we supposed to do? We are paid by the taxes from the people. So we should be the delivering partner of the government, and we are the interface between the government and the people.

“When people want services, and we do not deliver, people will suffer. The people will be angry and say the government service is bloated and we are not effective. So what are we delivering?” he said.

Also present at the forum was Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

Mohd Khairul Adib was appointed to the position in early October last year. He replaced Tan Sri Borhan Dollah who retired on Sept 9, 2018.

There were allegations of low productivity, lack of integrity and a bloated workforce against civil servants including some officers who have not adhered to the Pakatan Harapan-led government directives.

Mohd Khairul Adib said the public sector has achieved some remarkable progress, such as the processing of official documents that took longer previously.

“Like the service of processing passport, the delivery system has improved so much compared to before,” he said, adding that it was unfair to claim that all civil servants were not effective and had low integrity.

Mohd Khairul Adib said civil servants must remain impartial, neutral and serve their paymasters — the people — who have chosen the current administration to pilot the national agenda.

This, he said includes embracing the SPV2030 which will be subsequently embedded into the spirit of all government policies.

He said civil servants should work hand-in-hand with ministers to rebuff claims that they were not cooperating with appointed ministers.

“Now, we have a new vision, a new dream, shared prosperity vision. We cannot allow (only) a handful of ministers to talk about it. We are the machinery.

“We have been appointed by the government. The driver was elected by the people and if we do not deliver, the people will suffer,” Mohd Khairul Adib said.

“This vision offers jobs to people. As we know that many of them are applying to join the civil sector due to lack of work opportunities out there,” he added.

He also reminds public officers to avoid glorifying their personal agenda or interest as they were not employed to “run for office”.

“The executive (elected politicians) is the driver, while we are only the machinery. They will have to face the people and ask for the new mandate in every five years, while we don’t,” he said.