Party secretary Chong Chieng Jen said that before the implementation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1971, the composition of the Chinese and Indians in the civil service was about 20% and 17% respectively.
“But since 1971 the number of Chinese in the civil service has dropped from 20% to only 6% now, and the Indians from 17% to 4%,” he said.
Chong said that in September 2009, Parliament was told that Chinese civil servants were 72,875 or 6%, a drop of 14%, and the Indian civil servants were 50,140 or 4%, a drop of 13%.
“We were also told that Malay civil servants stood at 932, 225 accounting for 76.2% while the ‘lain-lain’ (others) including the Ibans, Bidayuhs, Orang Ulu, Kadazandusuns, Murut and Eurasians were 167,707 or 13.7%,” he said.
Chong said that he was compelled to raise the issue in view of Sarawak United Peoples’ Party’s (SUPP) latest “political stunt” to woo young voters.
Last week, SUPP president and Deputy Chief Minister George Chan announced the setting up of a special unit in the party headquarters to help get more Chinese into the public sector.
The unit had thus far registered 112 applicants. Describing the response as “overwhelming”, Chan reportedly said that it signified that the Chinese wanted to work in the civil service and hoped that it would “mark the begining of a racial balance in the private sector”.
Equal opportunity
Responding to Chan’s comment, Chong said that if SUPP wanted to really help it should “rectify the bias policy instead of acting like an employment agency”.
“This is a political stunt. All these youngsters (who register) are not only educated, but also knowledgeable in Internet matters. It is not necessary for SUPP to help them to go into the Internet and to register their job application in the civil service.
“SUPP as part of the ruling BN government should exert its rights and help implement a fair policy that would give the people an equal opportunity.
“If SUPP really claims to be trying to serve the Chinese and other races, then it should help rectify the (bias) policy rather than becoming an employment agency,” said Chong, who is also the Bandar Kuching MP.
Chong questioned whether SUPP knew exactly how many of the applications registered by the unit would be approved by Public Services Department (PSD) later on.
“If SUPP does not know, then it is merely doing a political stunt.
“SUPP should call on the PSD to set a Key Performance Index (KPI) to say that within three years, it would increase the Chinese representation in the civil service from the current 6% to 8%, although 8% is still small compared with the 25% of the Chinese population in the country.
“At least then we will have the KPI through which to judge whether there is an effort to rectify the situation, that is, to increase the Chinese representation,” he said.
He said that it was least the ruling political party like SUPP could do for the community.
Chong said that he had also tried to raise the issue of Chinese in the civil service in Parliament, but was told that it is a sensitive issue.
“What is so sensitive about the racial ratio in the civil service, if the policy is implemented fairly?” he asked.
He said the state government was even worse as it was not transparent at all and was not even willing to rectify the situation.
“What is SUPP which is part of the state government going to say about it?” he asked.
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