Whether Sabah moves forward rests on civil servants

Published on: Sunday, September 29, 2019

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I AGREE with former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh who claimed that Sabah and Sabahans are losing billions of ringgit yearly due to poor delivery systems in both Federal and State Government Departments and agencies.

Datuk Safar Untong must be congratulated for his prompt reply to the issue of earthworks Removal Pass raised by Harris. Harris supports the laws and rules concerning Sabah or Malaysia for that matter.

But what Harris seems concerned about is the consistent delay created by Departments (Authority to approve and issue licences of permits). He said there is evidence that a Removal Pass takes months to approve and issue. A local farmer who applied to remove just 400 cubic metres of earth from about 2km away to reclaim the site to build his house took six months!

On the Landing Permit under Immigration, it was claimed that quite a number of Indonesian workers waiting for their permits at Nunukan for weeks or months committed suicide or went mad from the waiting.

Employers only sometimes give a loan of RM300 per worker to wait at Nunukan. Accommodation and food is not cheap at Nunukan. It costs the same as Tawau. These workers when broke will turn to suicide or madness. Surely the Federal Government do not want this to happen.

This causes losses to both the employers whose oil palm fruits are not getting harvested, and the employees who is without income for however long it takes.

Civil servants must reminded that the words ‘Civil Servant’ means they are the servants of the people who pay their salaries. Abraham Lincoln, who was the President of the United State of America in the 1860’s described them as “the servants of the people for the people”. Civil servants are Managers to manage according to laws and policies formulated by people’s representative. Civil Servants must not regard the people as their enemy. Workers are also human being and must be treated as such.

Harris acknowledges that a country must have laws and policies to guide and discipline the “Rakyat”. He acknowledges that every Department or Agency must have Standard Operating Procedures. The question is how do you justify the approval and issuing of permits that takes weeks and months at the cost to the people, when these can be done within days?

It is hoped that civil servants will help Sabah to move forward.

A Victim