PETALING JAYA: If you are a civil servant, please smile, be helpful and never be rude for you will never know who will be watching you.
The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry will soon send its officers to government departments and agencies to monitor the extent of civility and the practice of noble values in the civil service.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the move was part of the efforts to get people to adopt such values in line with the Budi Bahasa dan Nilai-Nilai Murni (Courtesy and Noble Values) campaign, launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Jan 11.
“What we are doing is to get feedback so that we can then appeal to the department’s staff to change their ways,” he said after launching The Star’s “Cool to be Polite” campaign at Menara Star here yesterday.
Dr Rais said the progress of the monitoring would be presented to Cabinet once every three months.
“I will report on the progress and the problems we have encountered and the things which need to be done to ensure the success of the campaign,” he said.
He said special focus would be placed on government servants who enforced laws and those who dealt with the public.
Dr Rais said he would also propose to Cabinet that all civil servants undergo courses to instil courtesy and noble values in them.
”Of course, I will be starting with the staff of my own ministry. We have to ensure that our staff practise what we are telling everyone else to do,” he added.
He said he would ask the Education Ministry, Higher Education Ministry and Women and Community Development Ministry and other ministries to hold activities to promote courtesy and good manners.
“I will also appeal to the Prime Minister to ask the various Mentris Besar and Chief Ministers to implement such courses in their respective state governments,” he said.
As for the private sector, Dr Rais said he had written letters to many firms, urging them to get their staff to practise such values.
“Frankly, it is not difficult. It is just that people are not doing it,” he said.
He said The Star was a good example of the private sector playing its part in the effort by
launching its own campaign.
He also congratulated it for being the first media organisation to have such a campaign.
“This is the first step and The Star has started it in a very positive footing,” he said.
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Yeah, those people up there who has never been down here will never know what those people down here have to face everyday. It's not difficult? Easier said than done. The big-G always campaign this and that, campaign, campaign, campaign. Tak habis-habis... It may do something about this but in most cases, its all "hangat-hangat tahi ayam" which means that the sensation is always short-lived and never lasting, correct me if I'm wrong. Those people up there should try stand in the shoes of those government servants for at least a month and FEEL what they feel, especially those guys in the PR and complaints department...
