ada apa dengan civil servant?

The problem the nation faces when losing a great visionary such as Dr Mahathir is the loss of the Government’s ability to see at the big picture.

Take for instance the classification of the Straits of Malacca as a ‘war zone’ by a group of London based insurers.

In early August, the Llyod’s Joint War Committee, a London based advisory body for insurers, declared the Straits of Malacca as a high risk area of war and terrorism.

This declaration has resulted in the increase of transportation costs as shippers has to fork out more for insurance cover.

The impact of this declaration couldn’t be more severe for Malaysia.

It is the world’s 17th largest trading nation. Trade accounts for more than twice its GDP.

Llyod’s declaration means that goods imported to the country as well as exported overseas will be higher.

By natural extension, the competitiveness of Malaysian goods in the international market could also be affected, as exporters from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand are not affected by Llyod’s ruling.

If this continues, manufacturers who are currently exporting goods from Malaysia would relocate their factories to other countries which are not subjected to Llyod’s declaration.

Industries which are totally dependent of foreign investment such as electrical and electronics will be the hardest hit.

Massive layoffs will follow and consequently the Government will loses billions in revenues from taxes and exports duties that could be collected from these companies.

This scenario is very real.

It is about time the Government realise how serious the situation could become if nothing is being done about this.

Government’s inaction so far is an evidence that the entire Government machinery is hibernating in a deep slumber.

Not a single Minister or even Senior Civil Servants from the relevant Ministries and Agencies such as the MITI, Economic Planning Unit, NEAC and Transport Ministry has offered their two cents of worth on this issue.

This ‘tidak apa’ attitude is shocking.

When the British left Malaya, our Civil Service was the best in the entire Commonwealth.

That’s the reason why we have reacted well to the shocks that has happened in the past, from the Communist insurgency, the first oil crisis in 1973, the global recession in the mid 80's and the transformation of the landscape of the economy from agrarian based economy to an industrial economy.

And now, 48 years after Merdeka it seems that the Civil Service has loss its shine and glory. It has not been able to execute the job that they are suppose to do: providing advice to the political leadership.

If this ‘tidak apa’ attitude continues, will the last person to leave Malaysia, please shut off the light?