Buku Media JPA 2020

THE public service is the face of the government to its citizens, forming a palpable bond between them. It serves the government with all the loyalty that it can muster as it swore to do. Yet, the public service has long been a punching bag for many ills, as though it cannot do anything right. Budget deficits are readily blamed on a bloated public service. Poor delivery of services must be because bureaucrats are apathetic. “Street- level” bureaucrats — the front-liners in service delivery — are sometimes accused of being little Napoleons who subvert the intent of the law. If matters do not proceed to one’s liking, it must be the work of the “deep state” within. There is a grain of truth in the brickbats hurled at public servants. After all, a few rotten apples can spoil a bunch. But “everyone likes a compliment”, so wrote Abraham Lincoln to his friend, Thurlow Weed, in 1865, as Donald Phillips’ 1992 book, Lincoln on Leadership, mentions. Such was the effect of Lincoln’s compliments on others that it provided a strong motivational force in accomplishing their jobs. So it must have been invigorating for the public service to have been complimented for running the affairs of the state by itself during the recent constitutional crisis. Additionally, one needs to appreciate the great contribution of the public service to state- and nation-building. In building up the state, the public service plans for development, proposes policies and executes them upon cabinet approval. It perseveres to create a business-friendly ecosystem to enhance a firm’s competitiveness, thereby promoting economic growth. The writer is a professor at the Putra Business School Public service ran affairs of state by itself during political crisis By Datuk Dr. John Antony Xavier March 12, 2020 FILE PIX: The Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya. - The civil service carries out the government’s mandate with integrity. Pix: NSTP 29