Chief Secretary to the Govt calls on civil servants to be proud of work, service to people

It was a relaxed session with the media on Dec 3, just as the name of the event suggested.

Chief Secretary to the Malaysian Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, was quick to apologise to the 50-odd guests who attended the Santai Ketua Setiausaha Negara Bersama Media event for being slightly late. He was held up in another meeting, quipping, “demi negara tercinta” (for the love of the nation).

Shamsul, nevertheless, is dead set on reforming the civil service in the country. This mission was also documented in his 144-page book titled 100 Hari Shamsul Azri Reformasi Perkhidmatan Awam, which was distributed to the guests. The book marked his 100 days in office – which was on Nov 20, 2024.

Shamsul replaced Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, whose two-year contract ended on Aug 11.

“I want our civil servants to be proud of wearing their government shirt, to serve the people,” Shamsul said, addressing editors and senior journalists in the room.

“You see people wearing a Google, or an Apple shirt, and they feel proud wearing them, their chest out. But when it comes to wearing a Road Transport Department (RTD) shirt, most will just put it away.

“During the recent two-day Madani programme, I wore an International Trade and Industry Ministry shirt on the first day, and an RTD shirt on the second day. I did so to show that I am proud of our government’s ministries and agencies.”

He was referring to the recent Two Years of the Madani Government Programme (2TM) and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform, which was held last month at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

“And there’s nothing stopping the rest of the civil service from doing the same. Also, we must not forget that we must be equally proud of our work in serving the people,” he added.

In moving forward, Shamsul has lined up several initiatives, as documented on pages 141 and 142 in his book. There’s a national civil service reform convention, the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, a series of engagement sessions with all states and industry players, and a Global Forum on Public Sector Reform 2025.

There will also be more engagement sessions with members of the media – perhaps over a game of bowling.

However, Shamsul’s biggest challenge is to create the right perception and to ensure his reforms truly work. The civil service has often been on the receiving end for decades, due to various issues – from having to deal with “Little Napoleons” to being involved in corrupt practices. Even enforcement personnel have been riddled with nagging issues, causing the average Malaysian to lose faith in the system.

It is hoped that Shamsul’s reforms will encourage the good men and women in the various ministries, departments, and agencies to excel and weed out the bad apples who do not deserve a place in the government system.