PM Defends His Openness Policy
Bernama – 25/4/2006
KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has defended his openness policy which he says has created a new situation in the country where even government backbenchers in Parliament now have no qualms about bashing the government itself.

"This is what openess is all about, everybody says what they want. I tell my ministers that they should not be upset with the various accusations against them and their ministries. The Barisan Nasional (BN) has a big majority (in Parliament) and the BN backbenchers have been a highly critical lot, which shows that the big majority does not become a huge rubber stamp," he told some 300 CEO's and top corporate figures at a dinner organised by the Kuala Lumpur Business Club here. Abdullah said it seemed to him that his administration's openness had created a new experience and he cited private television station TV3's frequent news reporting on many things which it claimed had gone wrong in the country.

"It is better to know than not to know. It is dangerous if you don't know because it might explode right in your face," he said. The prime minister said during a question-and-answer session with the audience that it did not bother him a bit that some people had interpreted his openness as a sign of weakness. It doesn't matter what people talk about me and whether this policy will continue under future leaders, we will never know what will happen. Sometimes things are done according to a particular period of time," he said when asked if he thought such a policy would be continued in the future.

"Now I am happy that the people who are not happy with what is happening like the non-governmental organisations are sending letters and have meetings with the BN backbenchers. At least, they recognise that the backbenchers are working," he said.
Abdullah was also asked about the civil service which once had "giants" among civil servants but now which seemed to have "little napoleons" that could be the reason why he was unhappy with sections of the government's delivery system. Responding to this, he said it was unfair to bash the entire public service just because of the few that had caused problems. He likened this to the recent spate of police-bashing which he said was also unfair just because of a few blacksheep in the force.

"If the police had not been doing their job right, we would not have peace and stability in this country. Of course there are some members of the police that need to be disciplined and action would be taken against them." Abdullah pointed out that he was not starting a civil-service bashing just like the police-bashing last year with a Royal Commission on the police which he set up which highlighted many cases of abuse and wrong-doings.

"It is better they leave rather than we throw them out. I know, I have been in public service since 1964," said the former civil servant turned politician. He said in calling for action to be taken against irresponsible civil servants or policemen, people seemed to "want to see blood all the time.But in this country we have laws, we have to uphold the rule of law," he said.
Source: Bernama | www.bernama.com