Indians in civil service, Top management posts: Govt must have quota

August 24, 2012

A business leader has reminded the Public Service Commission of the Indian community's contributions to nation building before and after Merdeka.

 

PETALING JAYA: Whilst Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is actively engaging the Indian community, the government agencies it appears are showing disdain.

Alluding to recent reports that Indians graduates were overlooked by the PSC for jobs in the civil service, the Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar said government agencies must support the PM’s work with the community.

“Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is really doing his best for our community (and) the government agencies should work together with the premier on this…,” he said.

He said the federal government must introduce a quota system in the civil service especially in top posts to ensure that more Indians are employed at all levels of the administration.

He said the current situation was a ‘serious let down’ to the community.

On Aug 18, English daily New Straits Times reported MIC president G.Palanivel as saying he was disappointed that First Class honours and Second Class honours engineering graduates from the Indian community were not recruited by the PSC for jobs at the Works Ministry.

It was reported that only 18 bumiputeras and three Chinese engineering graduates were told to report for work by the PSC.

Sivakumar reminded the government that the Indian community had sacrificed a lot for the country before and after Merdeka.

“A vast majority of our community worked in the Public Works Department, railway, electrical board and plantation in the past.

“We were the pulse of the nation then but now, our children can’t even get engineering jobs at the Works Ministry. It’s a serious letdown to our community,” he said.

Sivakumar urged Palanivel to be more pro-active in his approach to ensure Indians are given equal opportunity at the civil service.