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Malay Dominance in Civil Service: Quota or Merit?

Lew Guan Xi

It was certainly a tough pre-Valentine weekend for Penang Deputy Chief Minister Ramasamy Palanisamy when he was attacked by politicians from both sides of the aisle, along with various civil societies and non-governmental organisations, over his remark that the Malaysian civil service is currently Malay-dominated and that the current government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must take action to ‘break’ the Malay dominance in the public sector.

Source: The Star Malaysia

In a parliamentary written reply by Abd Latiff Ahmad, former minister in the Prime Minister’s department, to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, 90 per cent of the 1.2 million civil servants in Malaysia are Bumiputera, with approximately 86 per cent being Malays. Ramasamy was right, but does such dominance really constitute a racial issue that should be ‘reformed’ by the current government, as proposed by him?

Reforms are needed to address this issue, but not on civil service recruitment itself. All these tensions root back at the racial quota imposed in the tertiary education system. Pre-university paths, including matriculation and foundation (Asasi in public universities), are being set specific race quotas, with matriculation being 90 per cent Bumiputera to 10 per cent non-Bumiputera, and almost all foundation courses in public universities being offered only to Bumiputera. On the other hand, form six is commonly perceived by Malaysian students as too difficult and time-consuming; hence, it would not be a popular choice.

Some may argue that these “rejected” students could further their studies in private universities, as there are never any conditions set in the public sector that one must possess a degree from a public university to join. Putting aside the cost factor, a study found that graduates from private universities perceive representative or multiracial workplaces as one of the critical factors in their decision whether to join the public sector or not, with an average of 3.43 points out of 5 being given. Considering the overwhelming dominance of Malays in the current civil service force, though no racial quota is imposed on recruitment, students graduating from private universities may be driven away from the public sector as it does not fulfil their perceptions. 

Following the flak drawn on Ramasamy, Gabungan Parti Sarawak secretary-general Alexander Nanta Linggi has called for an ethnic quota in the recruitment system of the civil service force on February 10, 2023, to make sure that all races are equally represented. However, the quota system based on ethnicity contradicts the principle of no racial discrimination in the first place. What is considered the correct and fair ratio, and who decides that? The statistics on the racial distribution among Malaysians may help, but when it comes to the grassroots level, public satisfaction is the most important factor in policymaking. How can the quota system be developed constantly with the changing birth rate among people of different races, which will affect the racial composition in Malaysia in the coming years? 

On October 13, 2022, the Department of Statistics announced that the Chinese have the lowest total fertility rate at 0.8 babies per woman among all races. How can the quota system account for these factors to ensure that all parties are satisfied? Once it’s implemented, will the government have enough political will to continuously update it based on the latest developments on racial composition?

To address this issue, the government must first acknowledge that this is a structural issue that crosses various layers of society and that merely setting up a quota system at the recruitment level will not sustain. The government must abolish racial quotas in the tertiary education system, not only to increase competitiveness based on merit but also to balance the racial composition in the pool of graduates who are willing to join the public sector. At the recruitment level, the Public Service Commission, under the supervision of the Ministry in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions), should play the role of scrutinisation. Players in the public sector should be required to provide annual reports on their hiring conditions, characteristics of the job applicants (including race), and justifications for rejecting specific candidates to be scrutinised and published by the commission. This is to break through the perception that civil service is only open for Malays by ensuring that all recruitment and hiring are based on talents and merits. Those who are found to be hiring based on race must be charged or punished. 

Malay is the dominating race in Malaysia. This is a fact that all Malaysians, regardless of race, must accept. Under this principle, it is normal for the civil service to be dominated by the Malays despite no racial quota being set. The government should pay attention to the acquisition of non-Malay talents into the public sector and the transparency of hiring conditions in the civil service force. The reformation of the education system to break through racial quotas and the empowerment of the role of the Public Service Commission as a method of scrutinisation are the way forward.

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