KUCHING:
The state government has set up a committee headed by Chief Minister
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem to address the issue on employment
opportunities both in the public and private sectors, disclosed Deputy
Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
He said the issue
on employment opportunities will also include gender equality in all
sectors of employment: namely the Sarawak civil service, local
government, statutory bodies and government-linked companies (GLCs).
“We
acknowledge that the issue needs to be addressed. On the government
side, the matter on employment opportunities in Sarawak as a whole
including both the public and private sectors not forgetting the gender
issue will be addressed by the committee chaired by the chief minister,”
Uggah said in his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly
yesterday.
Uggah addressed the issue of civil service at length
following The Borneo Post’s report published on May 28 that the state
civil service is a far cry from diverse ethnicity that Sarawak is known
for. The same subject was also highlighted by two DAP lawmakers Kota
Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen and Pelawan assemblyman David Wong
Kee Woan during the DUN sitting.
Uggah clarified that the said
report covered only one component of State Public Sector when there are
four components which provide public service to the people in the state.
“Contrary
to the reports in The Borneo Post dated 28 May, 2016 that focused on
the Sarawak civil service without taking into account all components of
the public sector, the number of civil servants in the professional and
management group in the four sectors are mostly fairly distributed among
the races.
“For example, as at 31st May 2016, for the management
and professional group, there are 1,521 Malay/Melanau, 1,023 Dayaks and
1,162 Chinese in all the four sectors. This means despite the lesser
Chinese in the public sector, 28 per cent of them are in the management
and professional group while the Malay/Melanau and Dayak are only 11 per
cent and 10 per cent respectively.(see chart 1)
Uggah implied that the representation of the employment should also be read together with the situation in the private sector.
“We
never questioned the private sector composition and recruitment
practices. If we include the private sector recruitment and employment
components, the picture will be greatly different. To look at the public
sector component only is not a complete representation of employment in
the state,” stressed Uggah.
He further explained that in the
state’s civil service and local authority (excluding statutory bodies
and GLCs) the number of qualified civil servants in the management and
professional group are proportionate to the number of applicants. (see
chart 2)
“For example, in 2015 there were 23,859 Malay/Melanau
applicants, 19,389 Dayak applicants and 5,333 Cheese applicants in the
management and professional groups. A similar trend is also seen in the
support group. In 2015, the total application into the civil service
including the support group by race are 82,114 Malay/Melanau, 60, 258
Dayaks and only 9,243 Chinese. These gaps between the groups were much
wider in the past but thanks to the progress of education, especially in
the rural areas, this gap is now closing up,” said Uggah.
He
further explained that the state civil service is currently represented
by all the ethnic groups and other communities totalling 47 and even
some of the smallest of them such as the Kajang, Miriek, Saban, Tagal,
etc. are in the state civil service.
“One can hardly find such uniqueness anywhere else in the world,” he pointed out.
Uggah
said the state civil service is small and lean compared to the federal
civil service; totalling only 14,278 of which only 1,487 are in the
management and professional group, making up only 10 per cent of the
total.
“In the federal civil service, 31 per cent of the 1.6
million in the civil service are in the management and professional
group,” he said.
He also revealed the panel of assessors and
interviewers and said the members are well trained to undertake the task
of selection and recruitment. (see chart 3)
“These members of the
PSC and Panel of Assessors are very dedicated people who have executed
their task with high level of integrity and professionalism.”
Uggah
was optimistic that the issue could be addressed soon with the
recruitment of Grade 41 officers, and he hoped to see in future
recruitments based on merits as practised in Singapore and successful
organisations like Shell.
“I wish to call upon our young graduates
to study hard and give their best in order to join the civil service
which is now beginning to become the preferred employer due to better
perks and benefits given by the government,” said Uggah.
Meanwhile,
Uggah announced the appointment of top government officers including
Datu Jaul Samion and Datu Ismawi Ismuni as deputy state secretaries.
He
also announced the appointment of other heads of departments involved
in the exercise, including Datu Dr Ngenang Janggu as the permanent
secretary for the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural
Economy; Bakrie Zaini as permanent secretary for the Ministry of Local
Government; Buckland Bangik as director of the State Implementation and
Monitoring Unit (Simu), Chief Minister’s Department; Datu Mohamad Abu
Bakar Marzuki as the director of the State Planning Unit (SPU), Chief
Minster’s Department and former deputy state police chief Dato Dr Chai
Khin Chung as the director of the State Security Unit, Chief Minister’s
Department.
砂人联党巴都吉当区州议员罗克强于日前受邀出席甘榜德玛杜举行的达雅节庆典。
