The participation from government agencies competing for the award has been overwhelming. Is this a sign that the civil service is ready to transform into the New Public Management (NPM) style? Although we have observed changes, these are still way below public expectation considering that 13 years have lapsed since the introduction of the award scheme.
The government has introduced various initiatives such as the Civil Service Excellent Award, Civil Service Review (1990), Courtesy Campaign (1990) and Client Charter. However, these initiatives are more customer-focused and do not necessarily address the underlying challenges faced by today's civil service.
There is still a strong legacy of the old system of the traditional bureaucracy and a lack of, or no transparency in Brunei despite initiatives to review this.
On top of that, political participation from the civil society and social capital ties are not significant. There is also a strong feeling that the civil service is not doing enough in overhauling the system.
Complaints continue to pop-up regularly (for example, the Management Services Department reports that 30 complaints were filed by the public in 2005) and we are still haunted by "filling-in forms" in most departments we visit.
What could be done to improve civil service and reduce "firefighting" in the system? The main issue is the foundation of the public service itself _ its people.
Investing in the right talent should be the primary and immediate focus for the public sector in Brunei.
The private sector's emphasis has evolved from being purely profit-centric to customer-centric and lately to focusing on talent. The statement "companies don't make profits, people do" is very valid in this argument.
In an effort to establish an efficient public service, we may say that "the public sector doesn't produce results, civil servants do". Recruiting the right people with the appropriate talent is vital for better public service in the future.
Brunei needs a system where potential personnel are recruited at an early age (for example, after "A" Levels) and rewarded handsomely once they are in the service.
At the same time, the public sector needs to inculcate the right mindset in its workforce. The civil service should adopt reform and evolve from the traditional "Weberian model" to the New Public Service model, a model that promotes culture of empowerment with larger autonomy, less red tape _ larger responsibility and greater accountability.
The public service should relinquish its "silo attitude" and introduce a more collaborative effort through inter-ministerial coordination in improving their service.
As stressed by the Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister Office in an interview aired on RTB news on March 1, 2007, "the public service is just like a monopoly and is only provided by the government. Therefore the service should be the best".
The participation of civil society and social capital also plays a significant role in the development of a country as experienced by many developed countries.
For it to happen, the public service is responsible for creating the favourable environment for non-state actors to thrive. This environment could encompass policies such as encouraging SMEs and NGOs to be more active and participate maximally in contributing to socio-economic developments.
Furthermore, in this era of globalisation, the public sector needs to be more competitive, innovative and encourage more diversification.
Certain public services could be streamlined and outsourced to the private sector or even totally privatised as is the case with Brunei Telekom. This would even include outsourcing talents from overseas for specialised skills.
Additionally, a friendlier system of public feedback through ICT would provide fast interactions between the government and the public.
Sadly, according to government statistics in 2005, out of 30 feedback, none was passed through e-mail considering that the Internet is generally accessible by the public.
Furthermore, the total number of only 30 complaints is a clear indication of poor public participation most likely due to the non-user friendly system employed.
We hope that the e-government initiative would allow a user-friendly system for public participation through ICT in the respective ministries.
Throughout the years, the public service in Brunei has undergone some changes. Efforts to improve the service have been active through various initiatives introduced by the government.
Nevertheless, these efforts only appear as "firefighting" the problems as they arise. The issues of the appropriate talent, right mindset and culture, system change through social capital participation are of paramount importance for an effective and accountable public service.
Without these, initiatives such as the Civil Service Excellent Award may arguably be merely a "show" for the Brunei public.
The writer is from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and is currently attending a three-month Executive Development Programme on Public Policy and Management at the Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Lt Col (U) Hamzah bin Haji Sahat
Quelle/Source: The Brunei Times, 31.03.2007
