DOGE Malaysia – OK Tak?
A Review of the Concept of Retrenchment in the Malaysian Public Service
As we continue to acknowledge the significant impact of the public service on the Malaysian economy, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib Razak, Muhyiddin Yassin, and Ismail Sabri Yaakob, to name a few, have all expressed concerns about the bloated civil service. Every month, the government spends a substantial amount of money on salaries for over 1.5 million public servants. This figure has not changed significantly from the number of public servants under previous prime ministers. The implication is that the salary alone requires millions of ringgit each month, not to mention other expenses and pension payments to retired civil servants.
Ayuh kita berterus-terang mengakui kerajaan Malaysia merasa kesan akan jumlah kakitangan awam. ‘A bloated civil service’. Sama ada perdana menterinya Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib Razak, Muhyiddin Yassin, Ismail Sabri Yaakob juga Anwar Ibrahim.
Walaupun jumlahnya besar setiap kerajaan di bawah pentadbiran semua perdana menteri kita tidak pernah tidak buat pembayaran kepada penjawat awam setiap bulan. Dibayar pada hari ditetapkan setiap bulan ‘without fail’. Tabik hormat buat mereka. Amalan ini akan berterusan.
However, with a large number of public servants, the public service appears sluggish. This is also the case in the private sector. Therefore, many companies often reduce the number of their employees. The government, on the other hand, will not reduce its number of public servants. In fact, it cannot do so until now, as there is no provision in the law that allows public servants to be laid off en masse.
Ertinya, tidak seperti sektor swasta perkhidmatan awam tidak ada VSS untuk ditawarkan kepada kakitangannya. Skim Pemisahan Sukarela. Tidak ada juga MSS – Skim Pemisahan Wajib . Tidak ada ‘retrenchment’. Apa kerajaan lakukan atau cuba lakukan ialah penyelarasan dengan langkah reformasi pentadbiran awam yang diharapkan berkesan dan mencapai matlamat diingini.
In the United States, Donald Trump, before becoming president, was a strong critic of the public service, which has a large workforce. As soon as he became president, one of the actions he took was to downsize the public service drastically to achieve his goal of “making America great again.”
Dalam erti kata lain berhenti secara ‘sukarela serta-merta’. Kesatuan sekerja yang tidak puas hati membawa isu ini ke mahkamah. Namun, hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan memberi lampu hijau kepada pentadbiran Trump meneruskan program itu. Pada 13 Feb lalu dilaporkan 75,000 pekerja sudah menerima tawaran Trump.
Trump also signed an executive order that gave the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) the authority to reorganize the public service, led by Elon Musk, who is known for his innovative approach to government. The DOGE was tasked with reducing the number of government employees drastically.
DOGE Malaysia – A Possible Solution?
In a recent article, Khairy Jamaluddin suggested that Malaysia adopt the DOGE model, focusing on retraining and re-deployment of public servants, as well as the implementation of automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Jika diberi peluang saya ingin menyusun semula kerajaan tetapi kita tidak boleh memberhentikan sesiapa. Sebaliknya kita harus menempatkan semula penjawat awam ke jawatan yang akan menjadi penting dalam lima hingga sepuluh tahun akan datang sambil memindahkan fungsi yang boleh diautomasi atau diuruskan oleh AI.”
The key point is “tidak boleh memberhentikan sesiapa”. And he added: “If I were to be in the Prime Minister’s office today, I would recommend the formation of DOGE led by a brilliant thinker from the private sector to develop a plan of action for reorganizing the public service in the next 15 years, with the guarantee that no one will be laid off”. Once again, KJ emphasized “no one will be laid off”. It seems we all know why.
Conclusion
While the idea of DOGE Malaysia is intriguing, it is crucial to consider the differences between the US and Malaysian contexts. In the US, the focus is on reducing the number of public servants, whereas in Malaysia, the goal is to retrain and re-deploy public servants to make the public service more efficient and effective.
FAQs
* What is DOGE?
DOGE stands for Department of Government Effectiveness, which is a concept introduced by US President Donald Trump to reorganize the public service.
* What is the goal of DOGE?
The goal of DOGE is to reduce the number of government employees and make the public service more efficient and effective.
* How does DOGE work?
DOGE works by retraining and re-deploying public servants, as well as implementing automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline government operations.
* Is DOGE suitable for Malaysia?
While the concept of DOGE is interesting, it is crucial to consider the differences between the US and Malaysian contexts. In Malaysia, the goal is to retrain and re-deploy public servants, rather than reducing the number of employees.