25 June 2011

Selangor Lantik Pegawai Wanita Untuk Ketuai MDKS

SHAH ALAM 16 Jun – Kerajaan Negeri melantik Puan Noraini Roslan sebagai Yang diPertua Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS) yang baru berkuatkuasa 1 Julai 2011.

Noraini, 46, adalah pegawai wanita pertama yang memegang jawatan YDP di Selangor. Ini menunjukkan komitmen kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat terhadap kesamaan jantina dan keberdayaan wanita.

Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata, Noraini telah menerima tawaran sebagai YDP MDKS minggu lepas dan yakin beliau akan menjalankan tugas dengan cekap, telus dan bertanggungjawab.

“Perlantikan beliau adalah berdasarkan pengalaman beliau sebagai pengarah perancang Majlis Perbandaran Klang dan Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya selama 21 tahun serta kelayakan pendidikan beliau. YDP yang cekap perlu tahu selok-belok perancangan bandar dan kami percaya beliau boleh memenuhi amanah ini dengan baik.

“Kami juga berbangga kerana berjaya melantik YDP wanita pertama di Selangor – dasar kami adalah bahawa wanita harus selalu diberi peluang yang sama dengan lelaki berdasarkan kebolehan dan kelayakan mereka,” kata Menteri Besar.

Beliau menambah, bahawa kerajaan negeri mengalu-alukan kehadiran pegawai professional seperti Noraini untuk menambah baik polisi kerajaan negeri serta agenda Merakyatkan Ekonomi Selangor.

Pelantikan ini bukan sahaja menunjukkan bahawa kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor mengamalkan meritokrasi tetapi juga, menunjukkan kesediaan untuk keluar dari amalan biasa sebelum ini bila mana hanya pegawai PTD sahaja yang berpeluang menjadi YDP.

Noraini berkelulusan Sarjana dalam bidang perancangan dari Universiti North Carolina, Amerika Syarikat pada 1988. Sebelum itu beliau mendapat ijazah Sarjana Muda dari Universiti East Carolina, juga di Amerika Syarikat.

Beliau bekerja sebagai pegawai perancang di Syarikat Bernas sebelum menyertai MPK sebagai pengarah perancang, Beliau ditukarkan ke MBPJ pada 2010.

Pada tahun 2005 dan 2008, beliau telah dianugerahkan pingat khidmat cemerlang. Beliau juga adalah ahli Institut Perancang Malaysia.

27 April 2011

TLDM dalam usaha naikkan gaji dan elaun warganya

KUALA LUMPUR 27 April – Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) kini dalam usaha menaikkan gaji dan elaun warganya sejajar dengan peningkatan taraf perjawatan dalam pasukan itu, kata Panglima Tentera Laut, Laksamana Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar.

Beliau berkata, antara elaun yang sedang dalam pertimbangkan kerajaan untuk dipertingkat ialah bayaran insentif perkhidmatan kapal selam, bayaran insentif tugas stesen luar pantai, bayaran insentif bahasa asing, bayaran insentif pasukan khas dan bayaran insentif juruterbang.

Elaun baru yang dipertimbang untuk diwujudkan ialah bayaran insentif juruteknik pesawat, katanya dalam teks ucapan pada majlis perbarisan ulang tahun TLDM ke-77 peringkat Kuala Lumpur di sini hari ini.

Teks ucapannya dibacakan oleh timbalan beliau, Laksamana Madya Datuk Mohammed Noordin Ali.

Beliau berkata, usaha untuk meningkatkan elaun-elaun lain akan dilakukan secara berperingkat-peringkat. – Bernama

Change work culture of civil servants first

By R. Nadeswaran, The Sun

MANY years ago, the only form of communication between the citizen and the government was letters. You typed or wrote the letter, had it delivered by registered post or hand, obtained an acknowledgement slip and kept it as proof of posting or delivery.

If you had sent it by ordinary mail and if the agency to which it was addressed to says “tidak diterima”, it was back to producing evidence that it had indeed been sent.

Many government departments had “acknowledgement cards” which read something like this: “We acknowledge receipt of your letter and be informed that it is being attended to.”

In many cases, once this card is dispatched, the department believes its job is done. The letter will be filed with a quagmire of other documents, only to mysteriously disappear into officialdom.

With the advent of electronic mail, government departments have to be more alert and are subject to a higher level of scrutiny should they fail to respond. At the press of a button, the citizen re-sends the letter, reminding them of their failure to act on the initial note.

Instantaneous communication is now the order of the day.

Therefore, when the government announced the launch of the 1Malaysia email initiative, the objections raised did come as surprise. Initially, we were told that it would cost taxpayers RM50 million, but it has since been clarified that it is a private sector initiative which could cost us nothing. So, why then are there so many objections?

Promoters say that such a service would provide direct and safe communication between Malaysians and the government as well as improve government service delivery to users and businessmen.

But herein is the catch: It is not what email one uses, but the attitude of government officers in responding to the people.

One argument for the 1Malaysia email is that the people can immediately respond to the government on any issue or policy. Such a system, goes another argument, allows engagement and openness, which would facilitate interaction with the government departments and agencies.

Agreed, but how different will it be from the same objective being achieved if one uses a Yahoo!, Hotmail or Gmail account? Are we to assume names bearing 1Malaysia accounts will get priority over the others?

But the key issue everyone seems to have forgotten is to first change the work culture and mindsets of civil servants to respond to queries or letters sent to them – by email or snail mail. We can create all kinds of email names and accounts, but if the person at the receiving end just ignores them or fails to take immediate action, the whole initiative goes back to zero.

However, it would be certainly out of order to paint all civil servants with the same brush. The chief secretary to the government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan replies all his mail almost immediately, with some responses coming early in the morning.

And there are many secretaries-general in ministries who make it a point to reply and even forward emails to the respective officers for their input or replies. In all fairness, some directors-general of government agencies fall into this category, but they can be counted on the fingers of both hands.

The selling game for the promoters of 1Malaysia email initiative is “better interaction” but as the word “inter” suggests, it has to be between two parties or more. If one party does not respond, it becomes a “mono” sort of thing where one party keeps sending mail without getting any replies.

So, let’s get started with the basics by starting at the local council level. Make it mandatory for officers to respond to queries within 48 hours. Put a big brother in charge to monitor official mail to the council who will demand explanations and reasons for mail not attended to.

Once this culture is inculcated into the minds of officers (it may take years), then export such a system to the state governments and then at federal level.

What we need immediately is a change in attitudes with the taxpayers being treated as a client or a customer and not a burden and a nuisance by the civil service.

Once this is achieved, the battle is won and we would be able to see at least one limb of the 1Malaysia motto in place – People First.

28 December 2010

Early retirees from armed forces may get a form of pension

The Star

LABIS: The Defence Ministry is looking into helping certain armed forces personnel experiencing financial difficulties after retirement.

Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad said these people were not qualified to receive pensions because they had served less than 22 years in the force.

Many were facing financial problems now.

Dr Latiff said about 15% of the armed forces veterans in the country were those who had opted for early retirement.

To overcome this, the ministry was looking at introducing a special career programme for personnel who had opted for early retirement, he added.

“We want to find suitable jobs for servicemen who opt for early retirement. The programme may be based on what has been carried out in the United States.

“With the programme in place, the ministry will be able to identify a post-retirement job for our staff,” he told reporters after attending the army veterans celebration here Tuesday.

Abdul Latiff also said all retiring armed forces servicemen would enjoy better benefits when Parliament passed the Armed Forces Veterans Act next year.

He added the ministry was committed to taking care of about 90,000 veterans throughout the country.

Abdul Latiff said the ministry was looking at amending the Armed Forces Act to allow servicemen who retire early to get some kind of regular payments.

“We are looking into giving an allowance or even a form of pension for those who retire after serving less than 22 years,” he added.

27 December 2010

Lantikan SUK S'gor: ADUN harap tiada sabotaj

Malaysiakini

Pelantikan 'kontroversi' setiausaha kerajaan negeri yang baru diharapkan dapat dibuat dengan telus, beramanah dan bebas daripada sebarang bentuk unsur sabotaj, kata ADUN Kampung Tunku Lau Weng San.

Wakil rakyat DAP itu berkata, kerusi itu harus diisi oleh calon yang betul-betul komited, berupaya dan bebas sahaja.

“Memandangkan setiausaha kerajaan negeri merupakan pegawai utama yang akan bekerja bersama-sama dengan kerajaan negeri Selangor, maka perlantikan ini harus mendapat persetujuan daripada kerajaan negeri Selangor,” kata Lau (kiri).

Dalam satu kenyataan hari hari ini, Lau juga berkata, pelantikan mengejut dan mengemparkan Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi itu tidak sepatutnya diumum sebelum mendapat persetujuan kerajaan negeri.

Beliau berhujah, mengikut Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959 Perkara 52 (1), jawatan perlantikan ke jawatan itu hendaklah dibuat oleh Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan yang berkenaan dari kalangan anggota mana-mana perkhidmatan awam yang relevan.

“Oleh itu adalah jelas bahawa perlantikan jawatan setiausaha kerajaan negeri ini tidak semestinya dilantik oleh Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, malahan ia boleh dilantik daripada 'Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan yang berkenaan' termasuk Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Negeri Selangor,” katanya.

Lau juga berpendapat, kenyataan Ketua Setiausaha Negara Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan bahawa pelantikan Khusrin mendapat perkenan daripada Tuanku Sultan Selangor “mengelirukan”.

Ini kerana, tambahnya, tidak disebut dalam Undang-Undang Tubuh Kerajaan Selangor 1959 bahawa perlantikan jawatan itu perlu mendapat perkenan baginda.

MACC nabs federal dept head and Penang state agency senior officer

The Star

GEORGE TOWN: A federal department head and a Penang state agency senior manager have been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency for corruption.

Both men were arrested here Monday, Penang MACC director Datuk Latifah Md Yatim said.

She said the 44-year-old department head was arrested for asking and receiving a RM16,325 bribe from a contractor between 2008 and 2009 in relation to repairs and maintenance work.

She said the senior manager, aged 53, was arrested in relation to the supply of office equipment worth RM5,700 in 2006 which were never delivered.

Latifah said both men were expected to be charged in court on Tuesday.

Imbuhan RM500 hanya gimik politik pembangkang

Berita Harian

KUALA LUMPUR: Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Perguruan Kebangsaan (NUTP) menyifatkan tawaran imbuhan khas pendidik RM500 setiap bulan yang dibuat pembangkang sebagai tidak masuk akal dan ia sekadar gimik politik semata-mata.

Presiden NUTP, Hashim Adnan, berkata jumlah dijanjikan itu luar biasa kerana pembangkang perlu RM215 juta setiap bulan dan RM2.58 bilion setahun untuk menyalurkan imbuhan kepada kira-kira 430,000 guru di seluruh negara.

KUALA LUMPUR: Kesatuan Perkhidmatan Perguruan Kebangsaan (NUTP) menyifatkan tawaran imbuhan khas pendidik RM500 setiap bulan yang dibuat pembangkang sebagai tidak masuk akal dan ia sekadar gimik politik semata-mata.

Presiden NUTP, Hashim Adnan, berkata jumlah dijanjikan itu luar biasa kerana pembangkang perlu RM215 juta setiap bulan dan RM2.58 bilion setahun untuk menyalurkan imbuhan kepada kira-kira 430,000 guru di seluruh negara.

“Pada saya amat tidak munasabah janji ditawarkan pembangkang... sangat tidak logik. Ia memang sukar dilaksanakan. Bagi pendidik ia tawaran lumayan tetapi saya kira ia mustahil dilaksanakan dan tidak lebih daripada janji politik saja.

“Selain itu, akan timbul persoalan kenapa hanya pendidik yang layak menerima imbuhan itu sedangkan penjawat awam lain juga sepatutnya menerima imbuhan sama,” katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, semalam.

Minggu lalu, pakatan pembangkang dalam konvensyen mereka di Pulau Pinang mengemukakan Program 100 Hari yang mengandungi sembilan perkara termasuk imbuhan perguruan RM500 sebulan.

Sambil melihat tawaran pembangkang tidak munasabah, Hashim sebaliknya mencadangkan kerajaan menyelaras elaun kos sara hidup (COLA) kepada RM300 untuk 1.24 juta penjawat awam termasuk dalam bidang perguruan.

Katanya, COLA yang sebelum ini diberikan kepada penjawat awam mengikut kawasan perkhidmatan perlu dikaji semula berikutan kenaikan kos sara hidup.

Pelantikan Mohd Khusrin sebagai SUK Selangor belum muktamad: MB

Berita Harian

SHAH ALAM: Pelantikan Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi sebagai sebagai Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Selangor (SUK) yang baru berkuat kuasa 1 Januari depan seperti diumumkan Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN) pagi ini, belum lagi muktamad.

Dalam satu kenyataan dari Pejabat Menteri Besar Selangor sebentar tadi berkata, Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim akan mengadap Sultan Selangor, Rabu ini berhubung tiga nama yang dihantar sebelum ini.

Pagi ini, Setiausaha Negara Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan dalam satu kenyataan mengumumkan Mohd Khusrin, 54, yang kini Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) menggantikan Datuk Ramli Mahmud, 56, yang menamatkan perkhidmatan pada 31 Disember ini.
Menurut Mohd Sidek, Mohd Khusrin, berkelulusan ijazah Sarjana Muda Ekonomi dalam bidang Pengurusan Perniagaan, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, pernah menyandang jawatan Yang Dipertua Majlis Daerah Kajang dan Yang Dipertua Majlis Daerah Kuala Langat.

Ramli, yang sebelum ini menjadi Datuk Bandar Shah Alam dan Yang Dipertua Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya, telah berkhidmat dalam perkhidmatan awam selama 31 tahun.

Tempat Mohd Khusrin di Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor akan diambil alih oleh Pegawai Daerah Sabak Bernam Marzuki Hussin, 56, juga mulai 1 Januari.

Mohd Sidek berkata, pelantikan Mohd Khusrin dan Marzuki sudah mendapat perkenan Sultan Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

26 July 2010

Report politicians who seek favours, civil servants told

By Sarban Singh, TheStar

SEREMBAN: Civil servants must report to their superiors in writing if they are asked “favours” by politicians and the well-connected in the awarding of government contracts.
The directive covers recommendations of sila timbangkan (please consider), disokong dengan kuat (strongly recommended) and saya tiada halangan (no objections) made in all forms – written, spoken, email, telephone call or SMS – for contracts, permits, licences, citizenship and scholarship awards.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan, who made this clear in a recent circular, stressed that all decisions must be based on merit.

“Recommendations made by politicians or influential people should not in any way influence the decisions of the Government. We have come up with a comprehensive set of rules to check this because civil servants are often caught in a bind with requests or recommendations from politicians and influential people,” he stated in the circular.

Sidek said any recommendation received in writing must be attached to the application file.

“If the favour is sought verbally, then the details of this communication, such as time and date, must be written and attached with the particular application,” he said, adding that once this was done, the civil servant concerned must report it in writing to his superior for further instructions.

If the civil servant is unable to do so for any particular reason, then he or she should report the matter to the government agency concerned.

“If the favour sought or recommendation made is related to a government contract, the matter should be reported to the Finance Ministry.

“If it is regarding permits or licences, then it should be referred to the relevant agencies,” he said, adding that if the favour sought was connected to a corruption or abuse of power case, the civil servant must report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said the directive was timely to prevent the abuse of power.

“Although most decisions are made based on provisions of the law, it is better to have such a rule so that there will be more transparency,” he said.

Omar said on the other hand, there were also civil servants who were active in politics and had easy access to politicians and could easily seek favours and recommendations from them.

“There are cases where civil servants had themselves obtained recommendations from ministers or Members of Parliament for scholarships and places in university for their children.

“Some even ask recommendations to get promotions. When this happens, it becomes a disadvantage to those who are not well connected,” he added.

22 July 2010

A PRESIDENT, A QUEEN and TWO PMs

From Blog

According to The Nut Graph, studies by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that reveal that Malaysia has the highest civil servants-to-population ratio in the Asia Pacific. Then, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said Malaysia had a bloated civil service - Malaysia’s ratio was 4.68%, compared to Indonesia’s 1.79%, Korea’s 1.85% and Thailand’s 2.06% all of which have less than half our ratio.

Last week, MP Liew Chin Tong revealed in his blog, that the Prime Minister’s Department’s allocation for 2010 is a whopping RM12 billion, not RM4 billion as some people may have perceived it to be. That's a lot of money! Like many Malaysians, I wondered why that department is NOT tightening the belt like what the rest of us are doing in the light of subsidy cuts and warnings of imminent bankruptcy by 2019.

Based on MP Liew's blog, I have summarized a few astounding facts:

A. Staff size of the PMD

Year: 1981
PM: TDM
Staff size: 4,414 staff in the PMD

TWENTY YEARS LATER

Year: 2001
PM: TDM
Staff size: 9,673 ( this is an increase of 119.14% after TWENTY YEARS)

Year: 2003
PM: Badawi
Staff size: 21,045 in 2003 (this is an increase of 117.564% in TWO YEARS)

Year : 2009
PM: PM Najib Razak
Satff Size: 25,332 (this is an increase of 20.37% over 6 years)

Year 2010
PM: PM Najib
Staff size: 43,544 people (this is an increase of 71.893% in ONE YEAR!!!!)

After that mathematical exercise, I decided to compare the budgets of our PM with that of the US President , Singapore PM and the Queen of England.

I was quite amazed that the information is readily available in the net.