Privatisation Not Best Solution To Trim Civil Service Najib Tells Pm

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Former premier Najib Abdul Razak said today that privatisation has not always been the best solution to downsize the civil service
Asked whether he agreed with Putrajaya's plan to once again embark on a privatisation exercise, Najib recalled how his previous BN administration was forced to buy back loss-making national flag carrier Malaysia Airlines after it was privatised in 1994
"It depends, it depends... privatisation has not always been the panacea
"As you know, we privatised MAS during his time (Dr Mahathir Mohamad's first term in office), and we had to buy back at the same price," Najib told reporters in Parliament
"It was privatisation that went awry so we rescued that, and bailed them (MAS) out. "Certain conditions have to be met before they (the present government) say that it’s the right solution."Earlier today, Mahathir said the government was looking into the feasibility of privatising parts of the "bloated" public service sector, as its 1.7 million employees – up from one million over 15 years ago – was a drain on the nation's coffers
Mahathir cited the 1987 privatisation of Telekom Malaysia, which he said had been successful in saving jobs, as employees were given the option of joining the private sector or remaining in the civil service
'Bloated' service?Pressed on whether he agreed with the view that there was a need for the civil service to be trimmed, Najib said a proper analysis must first be done to establish whether the "bloated" claim was true
"It has to be based on a proper comparison to what is the ideal number of civil servants, and can't be based on rhetoric.
"It also has to be based on analysis and proper study," he said, adding that the bulk of the civil service comprised teachers, health care practitioners as well as security personnel
"But if there are areas they can reduce, jobs that are redundant, then why not? If they are organisations that can be pruned, why not?"Since becoming prime minister again, Mahathir has repeatedly stated that the civil service ought to be trimmed, though noting that any move to downsize could result in additional problems. - Mkini

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