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THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONALISM FOR THE SARAWAK CIVIL SERVICE*
For YB Datuk Amar Haji Hamid Bugo,
State Secretary, the one description that should sum up the qualities of the
new Sarawak Civil Service that he has envisioned, is professionalism. He has
often reminded civil servants on the need to uphold and demonstrate professionalism
in the Civil Service. All the programmes and activities that have been drawn
up and are being implemented for the Sarawak Civil Service are aimed at inculcating
the highest standards of professionalism among the civil servants.
The choice of this year's theme
for the just concluded Civil Service Day Celebrations-Perkhidmatan Awam Baru
Ke Arah Profesionalism yang Lebih Tinggi (Toward a Higher Standard of Professionalism
in the New Civil Service) - served to emphasize the importance that the Sarawak
Civil Service that the Sarawak Civil Service accords to professional standards
and performance.
How would you define professionalism as it applies to the Civil Service?
YB Datuk Amar Haji Hamid Bugo:
To define professionalism, especially as it applies to the Civil Service, I
have to explain it in terms of its three integrated components. Firstly, professionalism
is predominantly an attitude and it goes beyond having a set of technical competencies.
A true professional faces his tasks with enthusiasm, no matter how tedious or
difficult the task may seem. And because of the enthusiasm that he brings into
his job, he infects others around him with the same sense of delight in doing
the work at hand.
Secondly, a professional civil servant
must necessarily possess what I call "technical competence". Quite often, competence
is measured in terms of the skills and qualifications, obtained either from
his academic exposure or work experiences, that an individual is expected to
bring into a particular task he was recruited to perform. But in the context
of the Civil Service, technical competence is all these and more. To fit into
the shoes of a "technically competent civil servant', one must have the ability
to lead and enhance group performance, possess creative capabilities and be
highly skilled communicators. It is a primary characteristic then of a professional
civil servant, no matter his rank nor assigned functions, to be able work well
with others (in the spirit on "integrated functions"). No one civil servant
can decide and act in isolation because his or her actions will necessarily
have an impact on the whole organization as well as on the external communities
that we serve. But technical ability alone is not enough to achieve professionalism.
A professional civil servant is a
technician who cares. When all is said and done, being a professional boils
down to the question of "for whom and for what it is all for?" Professional
competence must be applied in the service of others and a true professional
is someone who applies his knowledge and his abilities to help others. As Albert
Einstein once said, "A man's value to the community depends primarily on how
far his feelings, thoughts and actions are directed towards promoting the good
of his fellows".
Does the environment in
which the civil servant currently operates in nurture professionalism? In what
ways and how?
YB Datuk Amar Haji Hamid Bugo:
Any Civil Service organization is mandated to serve the government administration
of the day. And so, when we talk of the kind of conducive environment that nurtures
and sustains professionalism, we have to start with the kind of leadership that
we, the whole Civil Service organization, has.
The Malaysian Civil Service is fortunate
to have visionary political leaders. With their leadership, we are able to come
up with clear cut policies which directs our decisions and actions. Here in
Sarawak, our Chief Minister's framework of governance through his Politics of
Development, provides us with very clear directions and guidelines on what are
expected of us.
Our leaders have enjoined us all
to practice smart partnerships - the politicians, the public sector, private
sector, the media, the general public - to steer our country towards sustainable
development, especially now that we are facing challenging times as a result
of Asia's economic crunch and also, as we turn the corner to the next century.
This partnership is not borne out of rigid hierarchy or contractual relationship,
but a willingness to be flexible, driven and motivated only by shared goals
and common duty to our country.
In response to this call, we have
started on the journey towards achieving world class recognition as an organization
capable of delivering high quality services and performance.
In the context of the Malaysian Civil
Service, being world class means being able to support the private sector, which
we have now come to accept as the engine of economic growth for the country.
We need to assist our private sector so that they can compete favorably in a
highly competitive global environment. At the same time, being world class also
means being able to provide the best service in the traditional areas of government
responsibility such as health, education, environment, infrastructure, public
utilities and others. This goal requires a radical transformation in the way
we look at our tasks and functions as civil servants.
We have started to put in place the
quality management systems, tools and facilities that will help us effect this
transformation. Essentially, what we are trying to do is to equip civil servants
with the capability, not just to prepare for and cope with changes happening
their midst, but most importantly, for them to be change-riders by exploiting
these changes to our country's advantage.
What measures are being
implemented to enhance professionalism in the Civil Service?
YB Datuk Amar Haji Hamid Bugo:
Professional work depends to a great extent on the self-direction of the
person assigned to do the task. Being able to act independently, with the overall
good of the organization as his primary goal, is a prerequisite quality of any
professional worker,. As the numbers of competent, initiative taking professionals
increase within the Civil Service ranks, the more effective and dynamic an institution
it will be able to make itself relevant in the face of constant change. With
this in mind, our Human Resources Development (HRD) thrust is anchored on the
goal of empowering our civil servants. Empowering our colleagues to initiate
requisite actions or decisions, will redound to the overall good of the organization.
A crucial step in achieving this
is to equip our civil servants with the necessary skill and capabilities that
enable them to use modern Information Technology (IT) tools in their jobs.
We are also focusing on our civil
servants' information-communication abilities. In the Information Age, we need
people who know how to manage information for the benefit of the organization.
We recognize that the ability to recognise, assimilate and apply new ideas,
processes and materials are important to sustain professional capabilities among
our work force. An individual's information-communication capabilities also
determine his creative potentials, thus, affecting the results or products of
professional activities within the organization.
A true professional is someone who
has the innate desire to continually learn and acquire new knowledge, new skills
and capabilities and applying these to benefit their communities. Thus, we are
making sure that all civil servants have access to new knowledge and new ideas
through the learning facilities that we have set up as well as through the numerous
courses, seminars, dialogues and conferences that we encourage them to take
part in.
What would you single out
as the one most crucial competence or capability that a civil servant must possess?
YB Datuk Amar Haji Hamid Bugo:
To answer that question, we must first understand the scenario in which the
Civil Service currently operates in. The Civil Service is one organization that
is subjected to dramatic changes. Internally, the civil Service has to shift
its orientation from fulfilling a purely administrative and regulatory role
to that of becoming an active partner of the private sector in managing country's
resources and people to reap socio-economic benefits (in the spirit of Sarawak
Inc.) Externally, the Civil Service (just like everyone else) is coping with
rapid changes and crumbling physical and geographical boundaries brought about
by the pervasive influence of Information Technology. Processes, tools, procedures
and structures which have worked effectively in the past may suddenly become
obsolete or irrelevant. In the face of such constant changes, a civil servant
will have to rely on his abilities to devise and create new methods and processes,
even be forced to invent new tools or new applications of the systems at his
disposal in order to , in the words of the Prime Minister, "make himself relevant."
In this scenario, a civil servant
must continually be "mindful" and be able to "think in different terms" on any
given day that he faces his tasks. He or she must habitually search for answer
to the question: "What are we doing?", What should we be doing?", "What should
we not be doing?" and "What should we be doing nest?"
The greatest obstacle that I think
we face, in our efforts to move forward and build a better Sarawak is neither
lack of resources nor competence. It is being locked up in apathy and indifference,
choosing to leave things the way they are. Being able to "think in different
terms" will help us build a future, for the succeeding generations, that is
a lot better than what we have in the present.
* Excerpts from an interview which
was first published in the March 12, 1998 issue of the Sarawak Tribune.
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