CONTROL.....Most
top federal civil service posts in East Malaysia are still being held by those
from the Peninsula, a prickly matter for a Sabahan MP.
By : PATRICK LEE
PETALING JAYA: West
Malaysians still hold most of the top federal civil service positions in Sabah
and Sarawak, while subordinate posts are mostly held by East Malaysians.
In a parliamentary written
response to Sepanggar MP (SAPP) Eric Majimbun, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
said that 8 out of 24 people holding top federal service positions in Sabah
were Sabahans.
Eleven out of 22 people
holding federal service positions in Sarawak were Sarawakian, the response
added.
In Sabah, 64% of the 16,858
federal management and professional posts (10,816) as well as 87% of the 49,955
lower-ranking (termed as 'pelaksana') posts (40,108) were held by Sabahans.
For Sarawak, 70% of the
15,060 federal management and professional posts (10,534), while 91% of the
49,778 lower-ranking (termed as 'pelaksana') posts (45,325) were held by
Sarawakians.
These numbers did not appear
to include security forces such as the military or the police.
Speaking to FMT, Majimbun
accused the federal government of marginalising East Malaysians, especially
where the civil service was concerned.
He said that the matter was
more serious in Sabah than it was in Sarawak, with posts being allocated in
recent years.
“No doubt the federal
government has been trying to patch up, especially in the last few years with
the election round the corner.
“Posts have been given to
Sabahans in recent years, but this is just an eye-wash. For over 40 years,
posts have hardly been given to Sabahans.
“Even if they have been
given director posts, they don’t have any power,” he said.
For example, Majimbun said
that most district police chiefs were not even Sabahans.
Using
Sabah as a trial ground
The Sepanggar MP also did
not believe Najib’s numbers, alleging that many Sabahans could have been West
Malaysians in disguise.
“There are West Malaysians
who are transferred to Sabah, and have to work for a few years, so they bring
their families here.
“When they apply for a job
here, they will [call themselves] as Sabahan,” he said.
Another issue on this, he
added, was Putrajaya’s tendency to use Sabah as a trial ground for West
Malaysian graduate teachers in schools there.
This, he said, was
detrimental to Sabahan students as they would not get quality education.
Borneanisation is one of the
topics listed under Sabah’s 20-Point Agreement with Malaysia, following its
inclusion into the Federation in 1963.
This stated that the
Borneanisation of the civil service would proceed as quickly as possible.
Some critics have pointed
out that this has not happened, and that West Malaysians still have a firm grip
over the civil service there.
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