Like Dr M, all in his Cabinet have to keep things lean and clean
Tuesday, 10 Jul 2018
AT last week’s Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave a lengthy talk to his ministers, most of whom being first timers and had just taken their oaths of office two days earlier.
According to Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, during the four-hour meeting, the Prime Minister urged them to learn fast and adapt themselves to their new responsibilities, adding that they were in the Cabinet because the rakyat put them there.
“He warned his Cabinet members against getting involved in corruption. There is zero compromise on this. He wants members of the administration to have high discipline in carrying out their duties.
“It is also our responsibility to ensure that this translates over to our respective ministries,” he said.
“At any time, even if today that they are involved, action will be taken,” he added.
Hopefully, the ministers are listening to the Prime Minister’s warning.
But here is the deal. The Prime Minister has appointed 29 ministers and 23 deputy ministers from Pakatan Harapan and Parti Warisan Sabah.
As ministers and deputy ministers, they will need to make their own appointments to run their respective offices.
According to a 2012 Public Service Department circular on posts and service matters relating to the offices of ministers and deputy ministers, a minister is entitled to have an eight-man staff, including a senior special functions officer, a principal private secretary, a press secretary and support staff.
A deputy minister can have a principal private secretary, a private secretary and two support staff. The circular also lists down the job responsibilities of these officers.
The circular states that while these positions can be filled by serving civil servants, the minister can hire his or her own people, although approval must be obtained from the Prime Minister.
There are already rumblings in some ministries over the demands made, not only by the ministers, but also by those supposedly selected by the ministers to join the offices of the ministers.
One minister instructed senior officials of his ministry to create positions to reward political supporters. When the minister was informed that the ministry did not have the budget, he then wanted agencies under the ministry to pay the salaries of the new appointees.
At another ministry, it was a different story – it was not the minister that was making demands.
A government officer complained that a man claiming that he would be joining the minister’s office soon asked if the salaries to be paid by the ministry’s agencies would be higher than what was paid to an administrative and diplomatic officer posted to a minister’s office.
“I am told he is supposed to be hired as a special officer but he is demanding to be the principal private secretary as the salary is higher,” said the government officer.
The Prime Minister’s Office is obviously aware of these cases and it is understood that it has issued a circular to the ministers’ and deputy ministers’ offices to remind them of an existing PSD circular on the number of staff they could hire and the maximum salaries these officers could be paid.
Given that many of these new ministers have zero experience in government, they, perhaps, are seeking comfort in numbers. Hence, they want certain people to join them in their ministries.
Just a few weeks ago, a newly-minted minister had 11 special officers listed in the ministry’s website. It did not go unnoticed and rumblings started in Putrajaya. Now the ministry’s website lists only one special officer.
During Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s administration, sources said there were some 150 people on the government payroll at the Prime Minister’s Office. Another 50 were on the payrolls of GLCs.
During Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s time as prime minister, his office had about 140 staff members.
Dr Mahathir has the smallest staff, with about 120 people in 2003. Looks like he is sticking to that figure, although he has fewer than 100 currently.
Surely, the Pakatan and Warisan ministers, deputy ministers and their political appointees would want to start their new roles on the right note.
It is not just about exposing the wrongdoings of the previous government; they must also be seen as carrying out their jobs for the people and not just to reward the few staunch supporters or friends.
Sometimes, they need not look further. There are brilliant government officers within the system who are ready to serve.
For political appointees who have joined their bosses at the ministries or will do so, a senior government officer offers some advice: “Stay humble and be sincere. You cannot just come in and ask for high-ranking position and big salaries.”
Maybe they should also ask themselves this question: “What have I contributed to the country?”
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/10/like-dr-m-all-in-his-cabinet-have-to-keep-things-lean-and-clean/#UuqlBlgmyOjkoR3y.99
PMO halts ministers’ friendly ‘moves’
Tuesday, 10 Jul 2018
by mergawati zulfakar
STAR EXCLUSIVE
PETALING JAYA: Several ministers apparently did not get the memo on the ongoing efforts to keep government lean and to cut expenditure.
These ministers have tried to “reward” their political supporters by giving them jobs although the arrangements do not comply with the rules for employing government officers.
It is understood that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had issued a circular to the offices of all ministers and deputy ministers as a reminder that the salaries of people appointed by ministers and deputy ministers must be in keeping with a Public Service Department (PSD) circular that came out in 2012.
The PMO circular is meant to stop the practice of granting salaries and hiring officers beyond what is allowed in the rules, a government source told The Star.
It is understood that a minister had informed his ministry’s higher-ups that he wanted to appoint at least six special officers.
image: https://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/online/2018/07/09/18/57/p4_mainx_anr_1007_govt-officer-servicepdf.ashx?h=931&w=500&la=en
“He told the officials that his supporters needed to be rewarded after the general election. He also said if the ministry could not pay the salaries of these special officers, agencies under the ministry could do so. However, he was advised against doing so as it went against the regulations,” said another government source.
In another example, a minister instructed a government-linked company (GLC) to pay the salary of his special assistant.
The plan was aborted after the PMO had found out about it.
There is also the case of a man who called up a ministry official, claiming that he will come in as the special officer to the minister, who was just sworn in last Monday. The caller also said he would bring in several other people to serve as special officers too.
“It is not the minister that I worry about; it is the people he appoints. I am not sure where the ministry is getting the money to pay them but surely the agencies under the ministry will be asked to do so,” said an official.
When told of the latest episode, a PMO officer described it as “nonsense” and “ridiculous”.
“We do not want to return to the days of the previous administration, with the bloated staff and salaries paid by the agencies or GLCs.
“The ministers must be made aware that they are limited to the numbers stated in the circular,” said a PMO official.
The PMO circular reminded the ministry heads of the 2012 PSD circular on posts and service matters relating to the offices of the ministers and deputy ministers.
The PSD circular states that a minister can only hire a special functions officer, a principal private secretary and a press secretary, apart from support staff.
A Grade 54 officer can earn a maximum of about RM10,000 a month, including allowances.
A deputy minister can have a principal private secretary, a private secretary and two persons as support staff.
However, following a Cabinet meeting on June 27, it is understood that the Prime Minister issued a circular which, among others, states that the Government has decided that a minister can have two special functions officers.
Soon after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir announced that the government would terminate the employment of 17,000 political appointees as part of its reform plans to reduce government expenditure.
“We find that there are too many contract officers. Some had been contracted to work because it was needed by the previous administration but some contracts were given for political reasons,” Dr Mahathir had said.
A PMO official admitted that over the last two administrations, the civil service has become too “subservient” to the demands of politicians holding public office.
“The civil service has been brought to its knees, so much so that the officials cannot say no.”
Asked if a minister’s appointment of several special officers can be seen as abuse of power, the officer admitted it was “dicey”.
“It is not abuse of power because salary is something that can be negotiated. People do not want to come in unless given competitive salaries,” said the officer.
“This is contract work. If the minister can get an officer within the ministry, it will be good. But to an outsider, the salary of a Grade M54 officer is not attractive enough.”
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/10/pmo-halts-ministers-friendly-moves-some-are-ignorant-to-keeping-govt-lean-efforts/#CB6lMFevEUKQLlS7.99
These ministers have tried to “reward” their political supporters by giving them jobs although the arrangements do not comply with the rules for employing government officers.
It is understood that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had issued a circular to the offices of all ministers and deputy ministers as a reminder that the salaries of people appointed by ministers and deputy ministers must be in keeping with a Public Service Department (PSD) circular that came out in 2012.
The PMO circular is meant to stop the practice of granting salaries and hiring officers beyond what is allowed in the rules, a government source told The Star.
It is understood that a minister had informed his ministry’s higher-ups that he wanted to appoint at least six special officers.
image: https://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/online/2018/07/09/18/57/p4_mainx_anr_1007_govt-officer-servicepdf.ashx?h=931&w=500&la=en
“He told the officials that his supporters needed to be rewarded after the general election. He also said if the ministry could not pay the salaries of these special officers, agencies under the ministry could do so. However, he was advised against doing so as it went against the regulations,” said another government source.
In another example, a minister instructed a government-linked company (GLC) to pay the salary of his special assistant.
The plan was aborted after the PMO had found out about it.
There is also the case of a man who called up a ministry official, claiming that he will come in as the special officer to the minister, who was just sworn in last Monday. The caller also said he would bring in several other people to serve as special officers too.
“It is not the minister that I worry about; it is the people he appoints. I am not sure where the ministry is getting the money to pay them but surely the agencies under the ministry will be asked to do so,” said an official.
When told of the latest episode, a PMO officer described it as “nonsense” and “ridiculous”.
“We do not want to return to the days of the previous administration, with the bloated staff and salaries paid by the agencies or GLCs.
“The ministers must be made aware that they are limited to the numbers stated in the circular,” said a PMO official.
The PMO circular reminded the ministry heads of the 2012 PSD circular on posts and service matters relating to the offices of the ministers and deputy ministers.
The PSD circular states that a minister can only hire a special functions officer, a principal private secretary and a press secretary, apart from support staff.
A Grade 54 officer can earn a maximum of about RM10,000 a month, including allowances.
A deputy minister can have a principal private secretary, a private secretary and two persons as support staff.
However, following a Cabinet meeting on June 27, it is understood that the Prime Minister issued a circular which, among others, states that the Government has decided that a minister can have two special functions officers.
Soon after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir announced that the government would terminate the employment of 17,000 political appointees as part of its reform plans to reduce government expenditure.
“We find that there are too many contract officers. Some had been contracted to work because it was needed by the previous administration but some contracts were given for political reasons,” Dr Mahathir had said.
A PMO official admitted that over the last two administrations, the civil service has become too “subservient” to the demands of politicians holding public office.
“The civil service has been brought to its knees, so much so that the officials cannot say no.”
Asked if a minister’s appointment of several special officers can be seen as abuse of power, the officer admitted it was “dicey”.
“It is not abuse of power because salary is something that can be negotiated. People do not want to come in unless given competitive salaries,” said the officer.
“This is contract work. If the minister can get an officer within the ministry, it will be good. But to an outsider, the salary of a Grade M54 officer is not attractive enough.”
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/10/pmo-halts-ministers-friendly-moves-some-are-ignorant-to-keeping-govt-lean-efforts/#CB6lMFevEUKQLlS7.99
