Enriching the Image, Images and Imagery of the Public Service

When the word “image” is mentioned, we normally associate it with physical appearance. On television, the image of a successful man is often portrayed by the way he dresses up - a three-piece Italian suit, a Rolex watch and a pair of Bally shoes are his status symbols. An image is an idea, a picture or representation of the mind (not necessarily visual). If at the end of the tunnel you still fail to see any ray of light, it does not mean that you are experiencing an imageless journey. In spite of total darkness, you can still paint images in your mind. That is why certain individuals perform feats like driving while being blindfolded while other magicians are capable of displaying their telepathic skills.

“Images” denote a series of mental pictures which we paint in our minds or mental figments as painted by others. “Imagery” describes a thing vividly, almost always using the rich power of metaphors. All these are mind games that tend to frolick hard facts and harsh realities. What about the term “public image”? Public image involves the character, attributes of a person, institutions as perceived by the general public. Physical as well as mental images and perceptions are therefore relevant when we begin to dwell on the image of the public service.

What then is the image of the public service? According to the State Secretary, members of the New Civil Service should portray the image of being “knowledgeable, competent, able to adapt to the workplace, have positive attitude, possess high ethics and moral values and also the desire for continuous learning and self-improvement”. Small wonder why the top civil servants in the United Kingdom have long been portrayed as “British mandarins and elites”. These pedantic bureaucrats are usually Oxbridge-trained and they exhibit an administrative class of their own. Back home, the Residents, District Officers and “Kunsil” (Sarawak Administrative Officers) of yesteryears were once highly respected and revered by the folks in the longhouse and kampung. How sweet and satisfying it must have been for the then administrative officers to be placed on such a high pedestal by the people. Their nomenclatures also conjured the image of authority, status and fatherly figure. In the just-concluded District Officers’ Conference, YAB Ketua Menteri emphasized the importance of administrative officers to be close to the people and announced the renaming of Divisional Development Officers to Deputy Residents in order to capture back the renowned images of bygone days and their new development-focused role to monitor project implementation at the divisional level.

Whitehall, as an institution, is uncannily pictured as a “village.” In the same vein, Putra Jaya Complex reflects a “cyber village” - the forerunner of E-Government. Wisma Bapa Malaysia has, in the past, been depicted as the “tall longhouse.” All these are but architectural images of government buildings. Extending the building imagery further, how do you visualize district offices and government buildings, be it in the towns, suburbs or outstations? Some of these buildings are colonial relics (forts), some are beyond repair and a few are new ones (Pustaka Negeri Sarawak). If buildings do reflect the importance of public image of our civil service, then our building must be seen to portray the images of efficiency, effectiveness, confidence and trust.

Did you ever notice that council buildings are more elegantly looking than district offices? Or going down further, what about government buildings at the sub-district level like Beluru, Pantu, Spaoh, Sebauh, Sebuyau and Nanga Medamit? Toungue-twisting and quaint names may be, but these are focal nerve centres for the public at the ground level. On this note, District Officers and Sarawak Administrative Officers manning rural districts and sub-districts respectively, should earnestly pursue blending the idea of rural reconstruction with rural development. There is still time for those who want to be changemasters. For those being consumed by the Julau aphorism, let us not see you hanging around as managers in Jurrasic Park.

The imagery of government institutions as “villages” stems from the idea that apparatus of government includes individuals, groups of people and communities. The corridors of power in the “village life” is populated by an assemblage of ministers and senior civil servants who share common concerns on public policy areas. There is also a common bondage to maintain good reputation of themselves in the eyes of the public and hence the image of the government as a whole. The elites and the mandarins at the apex of the Civil Service zealously guard their image by maintaining a high sense of professionalism, discipline and erudite tradition.

In Sarawak, the Civil Service has spread it tentacles in the 9 divisions, 28 districts, 31 sub-districts and 10 newly-created Rural Growth Centres (RGCs). If the administrative umbrella is adequate then there is no reason why inadequacies in service should be tolerated, which in turn can drastically affect our service delivery to the public. Accolades aside, civil servants have to answer the clarion call for resoluteness, resourcefulness and responsiveness. Civil servants must be iconised as dedicated workers who perform their tasks with gusto, pragmatism and panache.

Painting images is a good hobby for the discerning public especially when public interest is at stake. One of the pathetic scenarios is when some civil servants become overbearingly confident. How often do you hear remarks such as, “Don’t worry, leave it to us, we know how to do it” or “We’ve been doing this for donkeys years.” Less we forget, there are blind spots than can obscure us from realities. As professionals, civil servants must know how to separate those making noises and detractors from genuine complainants.

Painting images is also serious business for government departments and agencies. Public relations personnel have to be recruited to maintain favourable image or images of the establishment. Building images is vital for Civil Service for it denotes the concept of continuously building blocks for the desired architecture of the Civil Service.

Driving home these pertinent messages, RAKAN Sarawak wishes to take cue from recent speeches by YAB the Prime Minister on the importance of professionalism of the civil service. The call by YAB the Chief Minister on the need for civil servants to involve themselves in service organisations/voluntary bodies and the State Secretary’s clarion call to continuously portray the good image of the government. All these serve as timely reminders and give us added impetus to devote ourselves both to the government and society at large. These are the calls of the bosses. But what about your contributions and affirmative actions as individuals and members of institutions in terms of enriching the image, “images” or “imagery” of the Public Service?