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Media Statement
by Tony Pua
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(Petaling Jaya, Monday) : On Friday, 25^th May 2007, I've issued a statement inviting UMNO Deputy Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin to a reasoned, collected and rational debate on “Civil Service Excellence: Quality vs Quantity”.  The invite was made after Khairy demanded an apology from me, after I claimed that the record pay rise solves only part of the civil service problem and called on the Government to take the “painful but very important step of trimming the civil service sector into a leaner and more efficient 'machine'”. 

As reported in Utusan Malaysia, not only did Khairy reject the invitation for a debate, he took the stand that my invitation “disifatkan tidak matang” [was immature], “tidak relevan” [not relevant], “jelas nampak niat buruk” [clearly of ill-intent] and I was playing “politik kotor” [dirty politics]. 

All right-thinking Malaysians will be wondering as to how a gentlemen's debate can be regarded as immature or playing dirty politics. It is also difficult to understand how a discussion on achieving “civil service excellence” is not relevant or of ill-intent. 

It was also unfortunate and totally inaccurate for Utusan Malaysia to have described the debate as to determine the “integrity and ability of Malay civil servants” (“kewibawan dan keupayaan kakitangan awam Melayu”), when the debate was strictly on the Government's policy towards the civil service.  There was never intent in constructive criticisms of the Government's policy to question the integrity of any particular race. 

Despite the massive and many privatisation exercises conducted throughout the past 2 decades, of which a leaner and more efficient civil service of approximately 500,000 personnel was one of its key objectives, today the number of personnel exceeds more than double that target.  This is one of the major failures of the Malaysian privatisation campaign for not reducing the heaving burden of the Government. 

At the same time, the record increase in pay will be a waste of public funds, if the move is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in civil service productivity. 

As the issues above are certainly of great importance, we will proceed with holding the public forum “Civil Service Excellence: Quantity vs Quality” as planned: 

●    Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall

●    Date: 30th May 2007 (Wednesday)

●    Time: 8.00 pm

We would however, reserve a seat for the UMNO Deputy Youth Chief amongst the distinguished panellist in the event that he changes his mind with regards to the debate.  Other speakers who have confirmed attendance include YB Lim Kit Siang, PKR Secretary-General Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, former secretary to Public Services International (Asia-Pacific Region) A. N. Ponniah, special assistant to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Nurul Izzah Anwar and myself, Tony Pua, Economic Advisor to DAP Secretary General.

(28/5/2007)