Reminiscence of Tun Dr. Mahathir

It was first just an idea by an Old Putra in the E-List which is a grouping in the yahoogroup started by some old boys from the Royal Military College of which I participate actively, that those OP's(old putras) who have worked with the former PM share their experiences of their interactions with him. So the three of us OP Samsudin Marsop, OP Khairil Abdullah and I agreed to share our experiences of more than twenty to thirty years ago with those who are interested. The convenor is Capt Aziz Abdullah, who was formerly working in Brunei and now back here and attached to the Malaysian Maritime Institute who's one of those OP's who contributes his postings frequently on the e-list. So last night, on 22 February 2008 we had what's known as "Teh Tarik Session" which is a favourite term used to denote an informal gathering where teh tarik is served for the evening following the event. The target was at least 30 persons but only 16 turned up, but nevertheless it was a memorable occasion for me. One common denominator which I noticed amongst all the speakers, is that we were "professional" in our dealings when serving with Tun Dr.Mahathir. We served without fear or favour and we gave him advice to the best of what had and it was for him to make a decision. At no point of time we were afraid to speak our minds, even when we knew that it would not be to this liking. And it is this quality of "professionalism" which we shared that's difficult to find now, especially when the top senior positions are now offered on contract, which means the tenure is dependent on acceptability more that competency. If this trend is going to be predominant in the appointment of senior and top positions in the Civil Service, it will definitely demoralise a lot of more capable and better officers from continuing their career and look for greener pastures. The announcement by the DPM at the official ceremony celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Public Services Commission was not well received by many incumbents who are looking forward towards a rewarding career. The lateral entry of outsiders will inevitably cause a lot of unhappiness because the perception by most is that their promotion prospects will be bleak. I hope the Government will not be hasty in implementing this idea before listening to those who might be jeopardised by this proposal. The increases in salary will be negated by a diminishing career prospects of making it to the top and this would spell a disaster for the Government.