PSC's Golden Jubilee at PICC

Last thursday on 24 January 2008, I woke very early as promised in order to leave the house by 6.40 am to drive to Jalan Cenderasari (Jalan Young) and catch the bus to PICC Putrajaya for the Opening Ceremony of Public Service Commission's Golden Jubilee. It was supposed to be held last September but had been put on hold and only materialised on 24 January. I had been looking forward to meet old friends who served as Members of the PSC from end of 2000 till end of 2005. Not all turned up, just the usual faces, but it was worth it because it ended up with a lunch of Briyani Gam. I just want to reminisce how I came to play a small part in making the 50th Year Celeberation a reality. While I was still a Member of the PSC, during one of the monday's meeting of the Commission, I proposed that the PSC should prepare for the celeberation of it's establishment which coincided with the Nation's 50th Anniversary. Actually it was my friend's idea that I threw at the meeting. His name is Dato' Shabudin Imam Mohamad, who once served as the PSC's Secretary for about slightly less than 2 years. Of course he had lot's of ideas on what to prepare but I left it to the good sense of the Chairman to follow through as what needed to be done. After I finished my term, whenever I had the opportunity to remind those who were still serving as Members as to what happened to the decision to have the 50th Anniversary Celeberation of the establishment of the PSC but the answer given was in the negative. So it must have been a sudden wake up call by the present Chairman as what has been done to implement that decision. To cut the story short, the slip shod preparation by the Secretariat was overruled by the Chairman and the postponement was inevitable. All the while I had briefed Dato' Shabudin who kept on asking me what happened to his idea. I replied it wasn't anymore my responsiblity to remind them as I am no more a serving Member. He might have taken the initiative to call the Chairman to convey his piece of mind and it rekindled the fire that almost been extinguished. Well, i was only too happy to attend the function where the Deputy PM officiated the Opening Ceremony. It was the first time I had been to PICC and it is a grand building sitting on top pf a hill overlooking the Putrajaya lake. Notwithstanding it's grand facade from the outside, what's more important is whether the place is being utilised fully or not. Since there's a rival Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre which is right in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, the significance of PICC is perhaps only confined to having Govt. functions only, and if nothing is done to optimize it's usage, than it will become another white elephamt. With all the splendour and grand trappings of the PICC, if it's underutilised and only assemblies which are also done every month by Ministries and Departments seemed to add it's utilisation so as not to make it look like a wastage, then it's a poor investment by Putrajaya Holdings, the main player who's developing the Nation's administrative capital. By the look of it, he money could be better spent in eradicating poverty of KL Urban population who are still living in deprived conditions and squalor. We must go back to the basics of what the role of govt, should be, that is to ensure social justice and bring happiness to a wide spectrum of the country's population.