Rid the ‘Little Napoleans’ in Govt or …

 No News Is Bad News

 

Rid the ‘Little Napoleans’ in Govt or …

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25, 2023: Malaysians and all businessmen and investors know how the “Little Napoleons” have been frustrating them for decades.

They are nothing short of being saboteurs to the country’s socio-economic progress and growth.

The Unity Government (UG) helmed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will fail to deliver and lose the confidence of all over time if the government system is not rid of the “Little Napoleons”.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below a Letter To The Editor penned by J. D. Lovrenciear on the long-term damage inflicted by the “Little Napoleons”:

Dear Editor,

*Anwar hammers from New York over disappointing embarrassment back home* 

Our prime minister who has taken a hard working team to the US to clinch the creame de la creame businesses which are eagerly sought after by many nations, must be a painfully disappointed leader.

Right thinking Malaysians will understand the frustration felt by our PM who was told by prospective business leaders in New York that business approvals are being delayed too long (and unreasonably for certain) in Malaysia.

Indeed what this reflects is the long burried fact that our civil servants - and especially the many little napoleons, are ruining all the good work of our new government.

It can be very painful for any leader of a nation to be told the truth as to why businesses are not keen to come to invest.

It is time for Anwar to take the bull by the horn upon his return.

Enough is enough.

Even Malaysians back home will share their frustrations when dealing with business approving authorities - let alone for many other applications and follow ups.

It is time to give the marching order to either shape up or ship out.

Fear of losing popular support or even succumbing to hidden black mails of losing political support cannot be the reason to fail again in resetting our national standards of efficiency, effectiveness and prompt productivity.

In a highly competitive global investment market place where technology is racing at unprecedented pace, time and ease of doing business are categorical prerequisites.

It is time therefore that we marshalled our courage to put an end to failing, falling derelection of duties.

If we truly love our nation then we must have the strength to dispense the bitter medicine that can purge the civil service of little napoleons and unproductive, unmotivated, lethargic and uncommitted civil servants.

In this age and time third world and developing nations - especially our immediate neighbours, know too well that speed and ease of doing business are pivotal considerations.

We need more than warnings to shape up. We need to revisit policies and organisational structures.

We need to, above all, break away from the long tradition of regarding the civil service as a Malay / Bumiputra vote bank.

We need to, to begin with, do away with pension schemes and the 'permanent job security' mindsets.

Let us face it. We certainly need to re-size the civil service population.

All of these are what will get the approving authorities, ministries and agencies into fighting fit performance.

If we cannot have the will to do so then our sense of patriotism and love for the nation's future is suspect.

Hopefully all of us will not be blinkered by our own selfish needs as much as politicians will put the nation's success ahead of their own political game plans.

What has surfaced in New York in the PM's dash for investment trophies is a thundering wake up call for structural and policy reform.

Are we ready? Are we willing? Will we succeed?

The answers are in the unity government's actions under PMX's leadership.

J. D. Lovrenciear

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