Saturday, May 05, 2012

The good Malaysian civil servant is still rare


I love it when there are letters that highlight the pleasant experiences we have when we encounter officialdom. In this case it is the efficient and cordial manner of the personnel at the Immigration Department. What a difference it makes when we encounter such incidences. We are not only pleasantly surprised but hope this would not be a flash in the pan occurrence.

I guess we have become so jaded with the many bad experiences whenever the public sector is mentioned that any news that is against that perception is such a welcome breath of fresh air. I know it is unfair to countless public sector employees who are dedicated in their jobs to be lumped together with those who could not care less about the public. Unfortunately, the bad experiences are the ones that sticks in our minds and they are supported by other horror stories from acquaintances and strangers. Some might be one sided versions of what really happened but even if only half is true, it is still a major concern and a blemish on the public sector image.

I've always wondered why do we, the public put up with bad service from some civil servants. I guess the answer would be that the public are not well versed with their rights in dealings with the civil servants. When the public is not given a civil service, we just shrug and accept it as if it is a norm whereas we should put our foot down whenever that happens. Alas, how many of us would even dare speak out against any mistreatment we receive at the hands of a public service employee.

The civil servant has so much power that they can approve or even delay a simple process like filling up an application form. Some of them do not have the patience to deal with the public who want to seek their help. That is when the designation, civil servant changes to uncivil not your servant personnel. We are not asking them to bend backwards especially for us, but some courtesy and politeness would be most welcome.

So we shall keep highlighting the public sector employee who embody the good side of the civil service and chastise those who are uncivil.

Image from zazzle

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