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PSC’s activities are confined mainly to recruitment and selection, and disciplinary matters of the civil servants. The need for another body to exercise these functions was a deliberate attempt to ensure independence and neutrality in the selection process, as well as on matters of a disciplinary nature.

11.2.1 Public Service Department

The PSD determines policies on all matters pertaining to human resource of the Malaysian civil service. It is a department under the Prime Minister’s Department. The main objective of the PSD is to ensure that the public service is manned by efficient, dedicated, and well-trained personnel capable of implementing government policies and objectives. The PSD exercises control over the terms and conditions of service as well as the creation and grading of posts in the civil service. Apart from that, placement and transfers of officers, promotion and disciplinary matters, administration of pensions and retiring benefits, and training and development of personnel also come under the jurisdiction of the PSD. This results in a highly centralized and hierarchical administration of human resources in the public service. Although this approach ensures uniformity across the civil service, it has often been criticized for unnecessary delays and bureaucratic hassle. This also creates a situation where the line departments become overly dependent on the PSD, a staff agency, for its human resource matters [10].

The training arm of the PSD is the National Institute of Public Administration, better known by its Malay acronym INTAN. It deserves further explanation owing to the importance of training and development in the Malaysian civil service. Founded in 1972, INTAN provides training to the whole public sector, with courses in areas such as economic development and policy management, quality management, financial management, information technology, and languages. Throughout the 1990s, INTAN played a major role in enhancing the awareness and commitment toward quality and continuous improvement among the public sector employees, and this was followed by realignment in its courses toward achieving Vision 20204 in later years.

The establishment of INTAN was in direct response to the recommendation made by Professors John Montgomery and Milton Esman in their report to the Malaysian government entitled “Development Administration in Malaysia,” which was submitted in 1966.5 The report emphasized the need for comprehensive training for the Malaysian civil service, after they had observed the following in the course of their interaction with the Malaysian civil service: “We have encountered many references to on-the-job training, but little evidence that such training actually exists. In some instances individuals are given assignments with no training at all; in others, they are taught routines and procedures that o er no insight into the purpose and meaning of their work [13].”

INTAN has come a long way since the Esman-Montgomery Report and has been a major player in enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of the public sector in addition to developing a civil service that is progressive and responsive to the needs of the nation.

4Malaysia’s Vision 2020 aims to create a united nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused by strong moral and ethical values, living in a society that is democratic, moral and tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable, progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient [11].

5The Montgomery-Esman Report is often considered a landmark in reform efforts in the Malaysian civil service as it sets the departure of orientation and philosophy of public administration in Malaysia from one of maintenance to development administration [12].

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11.2.2 Public Service Commission

Under the federal constitution, the role of the PSC is to appoint, confirm, emplace on permanent or pensionable establishment, promote, transfer, and exercise disciplinary control over members of the civil service. Recruitment exercise is carried out by the PSC throughout the year and application is made online via the SPA website, where an applicant is allowed to apply for a maximum of ten job vacancies. Although, technically, the PSC is responsible for the appointment of all civil servants, respective ministries and departments are also allowed to appoint lower category staff (i.e., those requiring only Malaysian Certificate of Education certificate and below) by way of delegation of authority from the PSC.

Short-listed candidates are then called for interviews. However, in some cases, candidates are required to sit for examinations prior to the interview process. A total of 14 designated posts require candidates to sit for entrance examinations and these include administrative officer, archive officer, investigating officer, security officer, counselor, sports and youth officer, and public defence officer. Depending on the particular job designations, the scope of the examination generally covers aptitude, cognitive, talent as well as physical abilities. The examinations are also conducted throughout the year and the examination schedule is published on the PSC website.

Interviews for candidates are conducted all over the country, including Sabah and Sarawak, and representatives from the respective ministries are invited to sit on the Interview Board. Serving officers who have attained higher qualifications are also encouraged to apply for higher positions and they will be called for interview without having to go through the first selection process. This recruitment process, known as Promotion Through Direct Appointment or Kenaikan Pangkat Secara Lantikan (KPSL) however, does not guarantee the promotion of the applying officers since they are still required to compete with the other short-listed candidates. For critical positions such as medical officers, dental officers, and pharmacists, the selection process is through the “open system,” where candidates are required to submit their application online, then get an appointment for interview, and subsequently successful candidates will be given a letter of appointment on the day of the interview.6

11.2.3 Recruitment and Selection

The recruitment process of the Malaysian civil service begins with the concerned department getting clearance from the Treasury for the staff salary, and the PSD for filling the post. If it is a new post, the department will first need to seek approval from the PSD and the Treasury to establish the post during the annual budget exercise. This will require justification on the part of the requesting department for the need of the new posts. The task of recruiting and selecting qualified candidates for the post is then taken over by the PSC. The PSC runs the year-round application system, or Sistem Mengambil Sepanjang Masa (SMSM), made possible by the use of online application via the SPC website. The selection process comprising shortlisting of candidates and interview follow suit. For some posts, applicants are required to sit for tests relevant to the skills and capacity required to perform the job effectively. Thus, the emphasis in the selection and recruitment is based on merit, rather than political considerations or nepotism. This was the reason why this process was entrusted to another agency, endowed with its own constitutional authority, to ensure integrity and neutrality in the process.

6Public Service Commission, http://www.spa.gov.my (accessed February 20, 2008).

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Successful candidates receive their appointment letters from the PSC subject to passing a medical examination. Once appointed, they are placed on a probationary period of 3 years. They can only be confirmed in service if they have met all the conditions for confirmation, which are: having fulfilled the probationary period; attended the induction course successfully and passed all required service examinations; and endorsed by the Head of Department.7 Employees whose appointments are made by Promotion Through Direct Appointment or Kenaikan Pangkat Secara Lantikan (KPSL) are exempted from the probationary exercise.

The induction course was made compulsory to all civil servants employed after January 1, 1992 as criteria for confirmation in service under the New Remuneration Scheme (NRS). The objective of the induction course is to impart the knowledge and exposure to all civil servants on the history of the country, the government’s main policies, and the national development agenda. Explanation on the government’s administrative system, main procedures and directives, and the government’s administrative circulars are also given to the newly appointed participants. Values such as excellent work ethics among the civil servants are also imparted to the participants during the induction course.8

Throughout his/her employment with the civil service, an employee is also required to undergo a competency-based evaluation known as competency assessment level (CAL). Competency assessment was introduced in 2002 under the Malaysian Remuneration System (MRS).9 Under the MRS, achievement of specific competencies or proficiencies related to the job is given priority and encouraged. This is in tandem with the government’s initiatives to create a learning culture within the civil service. Employees in the appointment grades are required to pass two CALs (CAL 1 and CAL 2), while for promotional grades, employees are required to pass one CAL at each grade, beginning with CAL 3.10 The CALs and methodology employed is shown in Table 11.4.

11.2.4Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning Unit

Apart from the PSD and PSC, another important central agency in the Malaysian civil service is the Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU). MAMPU also had its history rooted in the Esman-Montgomery Report, which had suggested the immediate establishment of a Development Administration Unit (DAU) in the Prime Minister’s Department. Their suggestion came in light of the need to have some coordination in what had seemed an endless proliferation of new agencies that typified the civil service during the 1960s and 1970s. The unit was to be free of operating responsibilities and was to be entrusted with strategic long-term planning for administrative improvement and development within the civil service. DAU was later to give birth to the present day MAMPU, the body that is entrusted with the task of introducing administrative reforms for the various ministries and departments, which also comes under the Prime Minister’s Department.

The reforms were aimed at increasing the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the public service in line with national goals. The Malaysian civil service has seen a number of reform efforts

10Country paper on Human Resource Development in the Public Service – Malaysian Experience, presented by the Public Service Department at the 13th ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM), December 20–22, 2005, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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