A parliamentary reply has given a new insight into the strange directions that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib is taking the country with his slogan of “Endless Possibilities”.
Malaysia has one the largest civil services in the world, with a 1.4 million civil servants accounting for 10 per cent of the labour force.
In 2009, Malaysia’s civil servants-to-population ratio was the highest in the Asia-Pacific. The ratio was 4.68 per cent compared to Singapore’s 1.4 per cent, Indonesia’s 1.79 per cent, South Korea’s 1.85 per cent and Thailand’s 2.06 per cent – all of which have less than half our ratio.
Strangely enough, despite having one of the highest civil servants-to-population ratio in the world, Malaysia is relying increasingly on foreign consultants even to draft national documents and masterplans.
Recently, the country was shocked by the revelation that the government spent RM20 million to international consultant McKinsey and Co to draft the National Education Blueprint, when in the past, all national plans, blueprints and official documents were drafted by local experts.
As a result, I put in a question to ask the Prime Minister to list “all the reports, masterplans or official documents in the past 10 years which the government had commissioned foreign consultants to prepare, like the Malaysian Education Blueprint which was commissioned to McKinsey & Co., the identity of the foreign consultants and the cost of each commission”.
In a written answer, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, failed to give a fulsome response, such as the identity of the reports and consultants commissioned, and the respective individual costs, except a general reply on the costs incurred by the Prime Minister’s Department for outsourcing drafting of national reports and blueprints to foreign consultants from 2008 to 2013, viz:
2008 – RM 3,313,121.00
2009 – RM17,751,570.00
2010 – RM20,134,063.00
2011 – RM71,904,227.45
2012 – RM84,535,849.77
2013 – RM18,349,135.80
The answer raised even more questions, including what is the Najib administration trying to hide when it failed to answer the very clear question on the identity of “all the reports, masterplans or official documents in the past 10 years” where the government had commissioned foreign consultants to prepare, “the identity of the foreign consultants and the cost of each commission”.
In the past five years, RM212.5 million had been spent to outsource the preparation of reports, masterplans and official documents to foreign consultants, a rare practice in the early decades of the nation’s history under the administration of the first five Prime Ministers.
It would appear that in the first 52 years of the nation’s history under the first five Prime Ministers, there is greater confidence in Malaysians than on foreigners or foreign consultants in their ability to think and plan for the country’s future, whether economic or educational, that the practice of outsourcing the preparation of national plans and masterplans to foreign consultants was a great rarity.
Is this one important meaning of Najib’s “Government Transformation Plan”?
In any event, why is the Najib administration shy to enumerate all the reports, masterplans or official documents which had been outsourced by the Prime Minister’s Department to foreign consultants to prepare, the identity of the foreign consultants and the cost of each commission?
I call on Shahidan not to commit the unparliamentary practice of avoiding my question but to give a full reply to my question, listing all the reports, masterplans or official documents which had been outsourced to foreign consultants to prepare, the identity of the foreign consultants and the cost of each commission.
He no speak or write England, so how could he reply to your question ? Would you like McKinsey to draft a reply on behalf of that half past six minister ?
Najib keeps Malaysian civil servants in payroll so that he can be sure of voters. This is permanent votes buying.
These issues HAVE TO BE TIED WITH THE SUBSIDIES REMOVAL & GST!.
The truth is the prodigal inheritor Najib is, believes that given that Mahathir managed to get us to pay for high toll rates , over-expensive cars, high steel prices, electricity prices that should have been lower, etc – for his cronies for decades, he figured what is a little bit of subsidies removal and some GST? If Mahathir literally bamboozle the people for so long, surely Najib even with his mediocrity can pull off a little trick for just a while…
But its an assumption…
Nowadays the ministers are like the unemployable graduates feel shy when they are compelled to speak English.The half past six government can only produce half past six education system and therefore now the whole nation suffers.
What civil servants? They are BN’s vote bank!
A thousand days the country nurtures its soldiers and all for one day’s battle.
(养兵千日、用兵一时。)
We have a mediocre civil service with senior posts occupied based exclusively on skin colour. They have poor qualifications and quality. A CGPA of 2.2 can get you a job in the civil service.
Need I say more?
Mr Lim,
I would bet that many civil servants are merely sub-standard graduates from the many sub-standard universities which abound in Malaysia.
This is a legacy of the illusion which BN has tried to build of Malaysia as offering an advanced, highly educated workforce.
Najib knows he has a sub-standard civil service, and there ain’t no way he is going trust any of their analysis or planning or reporting or anything at all.
With just a SRP qualification and certain kulitfication, they will give you a gun to be a policeman. And you get to shoot first and ask question later.
The sooner we get rid of this rats the better for the country….
ENdless possibilities….. I suspect how else to get commission if in-house experts prepare reports.
Check whether RM200? million for education ministry went to which crony company or middleman?
Education blueprint, I mean.
MALAS…
Dasar pemalas. Kajian kes JPS Hulu Langat.
Malam jumaat,siap sedia balik awal,asah barang untuk main dengan bini. Hari jumaat, kerja 5jam aje. Hari sabtu/ahad enjoy duit makan suap hari isnin selasa rabu….
In countries like Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand, the political parties in power do not have to rely on the civil servants to keep them in power but UMNO needs the civil servants to stay in power. Malaysia’s civil servants to population ratio is exceeded by Greece and as you know, Greece was on the verge of an economic collapse 3 years ago, needing to be bailed out by the EU and the IMF.
Maybe he learned about from Obama or vice versa? We have to wait a little longer to see if we will sink right to the bottom of the Mariana Trench! Many of the issues are being discussed and discussed and discussed until some bright one proposed Consultants! This is the easiest and also the most lucrative; you don’t need to be very smart to reach this conclusion! No work get paid and yet got commission! Just don’t blame anyone; the rot starts from the HEAD!
WHO is/R in charge of d Sultan Abu Bakar dam in Ringlet, Cameron Highlands?
Y so much water released at 1 go 2 destroy human lives, houses, cars, n other properties?
Same callous attitude as d “I KILL U” minister
Why should we keep a government that is incompetent and had all its priorities wrong?
The need to outsource the drafting of national reports, blueprints, and masterplans to foreign consultants as policies is no difference to the speculating of our hopes and the future of this country.
Malaysian should know best what is good for their country!
Well lets look on the bright side, at least Malaysia’s planing will now be done by capable foreigners. I suggest that all Malaysian ministries should just outsource all their work to foreign international companies. By letting outsiders do all the work, Malaysia will be better run.
P:S Isn’t this the neo-colonisation that we were taught to fear and condemn back in primary school?
Now, they are going to impose the GST in the new budget.
In addition, the subsidies on consumer products will also be reduced.
This, obviously, is to replenish the coffer after the profligate squandering of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money in the last GE.
With the till already empty, how are they going to continue with their endless possibilities?
Not forgetting that the gravy train must also be refilled!!!
The 1.4 million civil servant is excluding the GLC company. If they include the GLC then the figure may come close to 1.8 million.
The expenditure on civil servant + corruption will bankrupt the nation by 2020.
Aiyoh, LKS, Y U ask such a Q?
2 UmnoB, civil servants r their fixed deposits n vote getters.
If they no know work, no problemo; just goyang kaki n vote 4 UmnoB/BN once in 4 or 5 years, enuf lah
Jobs can easily b outsourced 1; no problemo 1, just pay RM saja, some more gave chance 2 siphon off some RM