Asli’s 60-40 formula essential for national unity
Malaysiakini
Nov 11, 2006

DAP NGO bureau chief Ronnie Liu hs warned that the creation of a more racially representative civil services was crucial in the government’s hope to forge national unity.

“The racial-biased civil service has been one of the divisive factors in Malaysia. A reform of civil service is very much needed to prevent a time-bomb (of racial problems),” said Liu, adding that the present unrepresentative civil service tends to generate ill-feelings from poorly represented groups.

Liu said this in voicing his support for the Asian Strategic Leadership Institute’s (Asli) proposal for a 40 percent intake of non-Malays into the civil service in order to better reflect Malaysia’s multi-ethnic composition.

“We hope the government would adopt the 60-40 formula immediately because it would gradually change the ratio of different ethnic groups in the civil service to a more balanced and healthy level, which in the long run is good for racial harmony and national unity,” added Liu when contacted yesterday.

The proposal, which was published in February, was part of Asli’s Proposals for the Ninth Malaysia Plan and was prepared by the think-tank’s Centre for Public Policy Studies.

End ethnic bias

Based on a 35-year projection, the 60-40 formula would ensure both the continued increase of Malays alongside an incremental number of non-Malays recruited as civil servants.

This would see about 4,600 to 6,500 Malay recruits and about 3,000 to 4,300 recruits annually, predicts the Asli report titled Towards a More Representative and World Class Malaysian Civil Service. [View report here]

The report predicts that such a formula would see civil service comprising of 65 percent Malay and 35 percent non-Malay by 2040.

Based on June 2005 figures, Malays make up more than two-thirds or 77.03 percent of the civil service. Compounding matters, said the report, was that nearly all secretary-generals of ministries, director-generals of professional departments and senior officer posts from school deans and upwards, were all held by Malays.

This, argues the report, results in perceived and actual ethnic bias by civil servants in discharging their duties.