Reducing Red Tape in Malaysia

[chenchow]

The Reduce Red Tape Initiative under the auspices of YAB the Prime Minister of Malaysia is aimed at enhancing accountability, transparency and efficiency of public services. Amongst others, it aims to accelerate key processes such as applications.

We can also send our suggestions through email:
kurangkanredtape@<hidden> or reduceredtape@<hidden>


Or fax to: 03-88883424

Check out http://www.pmo.gov.my/redtape.nsf

Hope that fellow Recom members would take this opportunity to discuss and help to improve Malaysia on this aspect. It would be a very good opportunity for us to help develop Malaysia!!!

[chenchow]

Hi, in total today, I have added 4 articles on this issue. Red Tape, Pak Lah visited Immigration office by surprise, Rating for Government agencies, and Pak Lah pledge against graft.

Read those and share your comments. It would be a very good topic for Recom members to discuss and also hopefully this will be translated into good suggestions, recommendations, comments that we could supply to Prime Minister Department and hopefully some of those ideas could be materialized.

So, Recom Members, lets put on our thinking cap, and find out which area of Malaysia, need to improve, especially in terms of reduction of red tape and corruption, which is the main target of our government. Lets work together!!!

[iQing]

well, we can suggest some ways to cut red tape directly to pak lah... here's the website

www.pmo.gov.my

wow.. now pak lah is using website as a way to reach people...

"think, try and triumph"

iQing

[chenchow]

iQing, the website, was on the first message as well.. yeah, we could suggest ways to address the red tape issue..

[littlebigone]

oi iqing...speaking of redtape, how bout we cut throught the redtape and get all the uitm student to come join us...promo abit lah...

[kijal4]

Civil service in Msia is very nasty. Let it be JPJ, Immigration, Pendaftaran, etc. All incompetent. Expect to wait for hours just to pay your saman. These people do NOT care how far you travel to get there, only to find out everyone went out to lunch! Especially in KL where you have to trudge thru traffic jams or expensive taxicabs. Pejabat Pos also like that, despite the fact they have been privatised and taken over by Philleo Holdings.

Semi-govt banks are just as bad. Tabung Haji, BSN, gosh, expect the unexpected.

But commercial banks, they will do anything for you since they are competing to gain marketshare. Maybank will kill BCB, RHB will try to kill Hong Leong, that's why everyone is so nice to you. I've had an occasion where this Maybank lady helped me to get my money back due to ATM error. If that happen in BSN, what you expect would be, "Tolong isi borang utk report ye Encik, nanti 1-2 minggu kami pulangkan duit encik"

Are you kidding me?

In short, JPJ, Pendaftaran, Pendidikan, etc are all govt service, so they can afford to be lazy. I wish I could privatise JPJ, become a company and compete with others, they'll know how we feel all these while.

So I totally agree with Pak Lah, the red-tape is mainly on civil servants. If you let these incompetent people go into commercial world where dogs eat dogs, they'll work their ass off and never see the end of it.

[Schye]

Malaysians are aware that it will not be easy for Abdullah to take on corruption and bureaucracy when these have become so entrenched in our society. Whether it is called money politics, kickbacks, graft or corruption, they all mean the same thing as money has to change hands before favours, political support or the simple act of getting government approvals are given.

Abdullah has set himself a high target and he will certainly have the backing of all Malaysians, even if there is grumbling among the influential and powerful figures.

It is important to point out that Pak Lah has chosen the Immigration Department for his first spot check because it comes under the Home Ministry, of which he is the minister.

He is telling the bureaucrats and politicians watching him that he is ready to clean up his own backyard first. He is certainly aware that the Home Ministry ? which also includes the police ? has the highest number of public complaints.

It?s glad to hear that our PM has　put much of his words into action but I think it will be a real hard task without more from rakyat.
For example, the corruption of police. Not many can afford to say no if they were to be offered money .Some even just take less than RM5 8O Maybe having few Lagu ANTI-rasuah on TV or heavier punishments on both sides in corruption may help. Nobody will want to pay for the saman but if you make those who try to bribe to pay 5 times the saman, then I think there will be some drastic changes ;)

[chenchow]

Since there is a talk about red tape, why don't we brainstorm on this issue and do something concrete from us, ReCom members.

http://recom.homelinux.org:8000/~recom/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=852#17865

[misled_youth]

Pak Lah can spend a couple of hundred thousand (of the rakyat's money) to send pre-election letters to people, but you think he will reply your emails?

I've sent 5 freaking emails to Pak Lah. All written politely (as much as some my not believe). AND HE NEVER REPLIED!
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Vapor Info (http://johan-luis.tumblr.com/)

[chenchow]

I think when we write for this issue, what we need to do is not only to find fault on the system, but we need to take it a step further, to share on how we could improve on it.

[misled_youth]

I think when we write for this issue, what we need to do is not only to find fault on the system, but we need to take it a step further, to share on how we could improve on it.

To have the system change, it would depend on two factors:

1. Political will
2. People's will

If the powers that be is not committed, nothing we can do.

If people don't care, nothing can be done.

M'sia's "Tidak Apa" attitude is the main concern. We allow bad things to happen. Pak Lah is no angel. He flies on Perdana One (our version of Airforce one) during election time. The cost of jet fuel used during the period probably was enough to send a poor kid to Uni and back. It is the people that allow such to happen.

Red tape and corruption cannot be stamped out by the gov, unless the people demands it.
________
Paxil help (http://www.classactionsettlements.org/lawsuit/paxil/)

[ElansarGelmir]

How to reduce red tapes? I think the main problem here is not the red tape, but the govt servants themselves. Even if we managed to reduce those red tapes, with those people around, we'll still face the same problem.

And i think the problem with our govt servants are they are lethargic, always procrastinates and misplace things. Like my case here. I remembered signing and handing in the LOU for last semester, together with my friend. 2 weeks later, they posted posters everywhere looking for me. And they accused me for not sigining the LOU. Wah, really boiled my blood to the edge that day. I calmly told them that they had misplaced my LOU and stuffs, but they asked me to shut up and just sign it to make things easier for them. Sigh, I doubt they actually try looking for it. And they like tossing their jobs to one another. In the end, they make it sound like they are doing the job voluntarily. So it's good if the officer (who is also skilled in stealing bones) ensure that these people are dedicated and efficient in their jobs. These people need to be more industrious.

[ElansarGelmir]

i think one of the ways to prevent the govt servants from misplacing documents is switch the procedures to electronic types. 4 months ago, as i was walking in the KL General Hospital, i came across a room with stacks and stacks of files containing documents piling up reaching the ceiling (no kidding). And those files look like they are really old (perhaps some old documents about patients?). I think they still need the files, though not really that important, but can't they really keep it in a more decent and maintained manner? I mean, if someone request to refer to one of those files, how are the staffs going to find them? Or they will give up half way through their search and say, "Sorry, it's not there."? If they keep them in diskettes or Cds, it will make life much easier for them and those who need those informations.

[aquila]

I think civil servants have to be trained, untrained and retrained. :P I think everyone will understand when I say that civil servants and public offices drive me crazy. For eg, Office X. Call at 9, no answer. Call at 10.30, minum pagi. Call at 12, out for lunch. Call at 1. Not back yet. (Hey I need my lunch too so I happily went off for lunch. Back at 3. (Oh no call quickly.) No luck! The person went off to some other office already. Call at 4. Kami sudah tutup dik. Panggil esok. APA!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

That was still OK coz I only had to call. Imagine my dad travelling 4 hrs to go to KL to renew my maid's permit. He had to wait in line for 2 hrs, when it was his turn, it was probably 3.50pm. But NO, they had to close man! Anak-anak dan suami ku nak makan malam jugak. Aku kena balik masak, lah!

:( So that's a bit of an exaggeration. I think to solve the problem, the government should count their pay by the hour. Oh, so they want to go off minum pagi/petang, let them but they won't get money for those hours they are off at the kopitiam, bersembang while we wait like fools under the hot sun. Also, increase competition among the staff. Create a best employee of the month thingy. Count the number of customers served, the amount of transaction done and hours clogged by each person, and give a little bonus at the end of the week. (eg. coupon of RM20 to McD) Ask customers to leave feedback on pleasant service, unpleasant service etc. Give warnings and be strict with staff who show muka geram all the time or think they are better than others.

When I think about public offices, I shudder. My mind is filled with bad experiences. I think that tells just how terrible the service provided by civil servants has been.

[chenchow]

Thanks aquila for sharing. I think you need to bring this issue to the attention with concrete proofs, like which day, what time at which office which counter, perhaps with name, what has been done and what has not been done. There should be feedback form in each department.

I believe writing a letter to editor in newspaper, with those information above will help a lot. Typically, I believe that will bring in appropriate action to those officers with tidak apa attitude.

[aquila]

LOL.... I don't think I can complain that dept to the media. Conflict of interests. *wink

Anyways, the problem is so widespread, it happens in almost every govt office. What do you do then? Write a letter of complaint each time? I think we are all so fed up with the system and have given up of the thought of change. Also, I'm sure the higher ups know of this problem as well. They were probably once in those clerks' shoes.

With our media's freedom of speech record, I doubt vilifying letters will be published, especially when they are directed at the govt.

[The_Observer]

Bureaucracy is endemic. Its a no-win situation.

If we heavily crack down on 'red tape', we might actually create more harm than benefits. Not only do we destroy the ONLY known government/administration system known to mankind, but we also create more 'red tape' in the form of people trying ever so hard to cover their arses for every single little thing!!!

But if we do not do anything about it.... sigh ....I don't have to illustrate any examples...I'll let the matter speak for itself...we are all tired and sick of this issue.

Cheerio.

[__earth]

Bureaucracy is endemic. Its a no-win situation.

If we heavily crack down on 'red tape', we might actually create more harm than benefits. Not only do we destroy the ONLY known government/administration system known to mankind, but we also create more 'red tape' in the form of people trying ever so hard to cover their arses for every single little thing!!!

But if we do not do anything about it.... sigh ....I don't have to illustrate any examples...I'll let the matter speak for itself...we are all tired and sick of this issue.

Cheerio.

cutting bureaucracy down doesn't mean going down the path of anarchism. i dont think anybody is thinking of desolving the state.

cutting down on bureaucracy could be as simple as reducing restrictions.

[ElansarGelmir]

I think the important thing is to have a stricter and capable manager/admin/high officer. It's perhaps palpable to most of us that most of these govt high rank officers do not really work their ass off to gain the post. it's like a free gift for them. Because of that, i believe that puts them off the competition, and they do not know how to appreciate their post (coz they dun really earn it. They just got it). That's why they do not take their work (i.e. to monitor the workers) seriously, and other workers also emulate these lackadaisical high rank officers. And these people weren't afraid of doing their job "selamba"ly coz it's like very rare for them to be sacked.

[chenchow]

I think it boils down to attitude or event "culture".

Let say a government servant, what incentive does they have if they work extra hard? Perhaps for some government servants, like teachers will at least be rewarded by having some of their students being successful in this and that. However, for majority of government servants, especially those who are implementing the policy, they don't see the positive outcome of working hard. So, perhaps we need to think on that line too. And I see that many government servants who work basically just to avoid getting into trouble, basically fulfilling what they need to be doing. If they have to do this much, then they will just do this much.

Another thing is that once government servant gets promotion, odds are they will get transferred, mainly because say each office has only 1 head of department position and the head of department is just a couple of years in the job. So, if another person is going to be promoted, he/she will need to get transferred and that deters a lot of government servant from seeking promotion, because their children would need to change schools etc, or they have to stay away from home, as working place may be far apart.

I face the same thing in US. I remember once I go to an office and I ask to do something, I was requested to come back tomorrow, because the person is about to catch the bus in 2 minutes, when office is supposed to be closed in 10 minutes. Admin office opening hours are very short here in the states too, like some office are just 9am to noon and then 1pm to 4pm. That's 6 hours a day.

However, there is a thing that front line workers should learn, will be to smile. That will help a lot!

[ElansarGelmir]

That's why we must change, or at least, make them change their working attitudes. However, i believe that only seminars and workshops aren't adequate to make the drastic paradigm shift. Most govt servants don't work for passion. They work to support their family members. I guess that explains the lackadaisical attitude amongst the govt servant. So, the question now is, how can we make them LOVE and ENJOY their current jobs? To be PROUD of it?

I think it's up to the society. Maybe we should show some respect to their jobs by saying thank you for their services (to show our appreciation towards their effort), do not poke fun at their jobs, nor look down at them. How often do we thank the postman for delivering those mails to our house? or thank the road cleaners for doing the job? ok, maybe those road cleaners may come once in a blue moon, but if everyone thanks them, they may feel proud and happy to serve us, and may eventually sweep the floor more often. Declaring Labor day is not enough to instill the appreciation towards Malaysia work force. Make them feel proud of what they are doing.

[chenchow]

Found this site from Penang State Government. Looks like efforts are really being done to assess the feedback from the public.

http://www.sukpp.gov.my/APPL/SuaraBaru.nsf/wfAduan?OpenForm

Guess we should help and share the information, if we face any problem with government agencies, so as we can together help to reduce bureaucracy and redtape..

[ElansarGelmir]

Hmm... currently, i don't think that i have anything to address or complain to our state govt, but if i have one, i would like to see how fast the govt responds to it.

[chenchow]

Yeah, perhaps, if you have some free time in Penang, and visit some government agencies for some operations, you can submit the feedback. I believe that if a lot of general public do that, it will help a lot in improving the public service. When we submit feedback, I guess it is essential to be specific, or else, it will be very difficult to investigate.

This is another one. For those who take public transportation often, this will be an important one. If you find any poor services in public transportation (especially taxi and public buses), please help by submitting the feedback to:-
http://www.kpun.gov.my/borang/maklumbalas.php

[ElansarGelmir]

Haha, don't worry. i'll be back to BM hospital to take my jabs soon. Maybe can check out how efficacious they are. If they worth complain, complain i shall. If they are efficient, then i will praise them.

[The_Observer]

Can we actually find a country whose civil service is really efficient and not muddled with bureaucracy???
Even in history, if you might...

Funny, why I am deciding to take this side of the fence?

Anyway, can somebody provide an answer to that question?

[__earth]

Can we actually find a country whose civil service is really efficient and not muddled with bureaucracy???
Even in history, if you might...

Funny, why I am deciding to take this side of the fence?

Anyway, can somebody provide an answer to that question?

IMO, the american civil service is very efficient. at least when compared to malaysia's.

[chenchow]

Perhaps achieving perfect efficiency would be impossible...and how would we measure perfect efficiency. But perhaps, we could look into ways to improve it.

One thing is friendliness, especially the front liner, who will be the direct contact with public.

This is not public service, but I was at Mc.Donalds at Times Square and there was a signboard behind the counter that if I could catch the Mc.D workers do not smile, before collecting my money, I could claim a french fries or hash brown free. Would this method work?
When I ordered, the workers did not smile at all, so should I claim? How many people would actually claim? Is this method efficient? Would it generate unhappiness among the workers?

[The_Observer]

Hahaha...i guess politeness is not exactly part of the Malaysian culture, EXCEPT towards tourists or foreigners from 'reputable' countries!!! (Indonesia and Thailand aren't exactly reputable countries right?)

Spill over of "Good morning, sir. Want some tea, sir?" psychology from our colonial era?