Public sector reform must follow salary hike, politicians say

REFORMS must take place in the public sector now that the civil servants have received a raise, Umno Supreme Council member, Datuk Seri Zahidi Zainul Abidin said.

Now that salaries have risen across the board, changes must be made to reduce red tape, he said.

Zahidi said it is a known fact that Malaysia has one of the biggest bureaucracies in the world. There are 1.7 million civil servants to a population of 32 million, a ratio of 4.5%, which is three times that of Singapore (1.5%) and nearly double that of Hong Kong, and Taiwan (both 2.3%).

The salary revision, effective December, will cost the government RM10 billion a year.

He said measures must be put in place to cut red tape that hampered business.

For example, Zahidi said, to export agricultural produce, one must deal with up to five government agencies.

The former federal deputy minister said this had led many local exporters to ship from Singapore's port.

As for the application of permits at the local government level, there are many hurdles to overcome for approval, said Zahidi.

PKR deputy secretary-general S. Raveentharan said civil service reform is long overdue.

Raveentharan said the costs of administration could be reduced if the civil service was run in a more efficient manner and the public servants made to realise that they are serving the country and not their self-interests.

He said civil servants who refuse to change could be replaced with the many graduates in search of employment. – May 2, 2024.