Government Servant vs Civil/Public Servant

I have always wanted to write about this issue. It is sometimes a tad perplexing, and sad as well, when certain quarters (including a police officer I had the honour to endure) from the civil service do not know how to differentiate the loyalty owed to one's nation and loyalty to the political leaders. Has Malaysia's civil service now become to accustomed to Barisan Nasional that it has forgotten where its true loyalty lie? To the extent vainly calling oneself 'the Government's Servant'?

What next? will the civil service also accept that the billions of ringgit spent on providing national infrastructure and facilitating the rakyat be termed as 'the Government's money'? will we, the Rakyat, then have to concur with the term 'thankful to the government?'

Will we then have to accept that a surprisingly large number of these government officers, being boring and unbelievably unreliable government officers (including the Traffic Police by the name of Sarjan Jamal) are better than if the Rakyat were to have no officers at all to serve them because we should be 'thankful to the government' and that we are not rotting on the roads like those in Ethiopia and Somalia?

With my father a proud JUSA recipient and a senior of the Administration and Diplomatic Services (lovingly known locally as PTD), I am only too well aware of the hard work these people put in day in and day out to implement policies made by the government of the day. They are well disciplined, and Malaysia is indeed blessed with them helming the actual executive machinery.

However one must be vigilant. For the rights and aspirations that belong to this nation must not be confused with the sometimes contradicting aspirations of the politician. Politicians that include both sides of the divide that is suddenly vested with Federal administrative power.

For the policies espoused by the government may originate from volumes of research, lessons learnt from the past or some sudden idea of grandeur that comes with the harnessing of power (don't tell me that 1Malaysia is coined up from the PTD officers!).

To a large extent, you execute and implement but then you do not promulgate. Excesses by the government rarely see the light of day and in the case of Selangor as a prime example, it required a total change of government to reveal Khir Toyo's penchant for wearing Mickey Mouse Hats from every available Disneyland theme park available on this blessed earth of Allah SWT.

You do not answer to Najib Razak, nor do you to Muhyiddin Yassin, nor to Anwar Ibrahim. You conduct your work without fear and favour in the interest of the RAKYAT. You know that your duty is sacrosanct, and that above all else the RAKYAT will be the beneficiaries.

Please do not confuse yourself for it will confuse others. Clear the air around you, breath in deep and repeat after me, HIDUP KETUANAN RAKYAT!