July
10, 2017
State
Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi launched the four-year Civil Service Reform
Strategic Action Plan yesterday at an event in Nay Pyi Taw.
The
Plan sets out a vision for change over 2017-2020. It is a blue print for
extensive reforms which will ensure that the civil service is more ethical,
better reflects the diversity of the country, and is effectively able to help
address the complex challenges of peace, national reconciliation, corruption,
and development that confront Myanmar.
The
Union Government was committed to building the capacity of Myanmar’s civil
servants, and equipping them with the skills and expertise in a few years, said
State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at the launch of the Civil Service Reform
(CSR) Strategic Action Plan for Myanmar in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
“We
must tackle in just a few years the issues that other countries have addressed
gradually over many decades,” she said in her opening speech at the launch of
the Civil Service Reform Strategic Action Plan. She also encouraged all
ministers and government bodies to place priority on developing the skills and capabilities
of the staff.
The
Strategic Action Plan also notes the importance of ‘merit-based and
performance-driven culture and systems’.
Promotions
must be determined through objective and transparent criteria.
The
State Counsellor also called for avoiding even the perception of favouritism or
nepotism, adding that promotion must be determined through objective and
transparent criteria.
“
There should be no place for discrimination in any form,” said Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi.
“It
is also important that the civil service reflect the diversity of our country.
No boy or girl at high school today should feel excluded from a future civil
service career on the grounds of their birthplace, ethnicity, religion, wealth
or gender. The civil service must develop recruitment systems that can attract
and retain the brightest and best, whatever their background,” she said.
In
her speech, the State Counsellor also highlighted the corruption as one of the
challenges that the government must overcome on the path to civil service
reform.
“Corruption
has a corrosive effect on trust and on good governance, and on the reputation
of the civil service and its staff. Moreover, corruption places the interests
of the few above the interests of the many, and thus undermines the central
principle of democracy: government on behalf of the people,” she said.
The
Strategic Action Plan sets out a number of initiatives in this regard:
strengthening the Civil Service Code of Conduct; improving training on ethics
and anti-corruption; making grievance and whistle blowing mechanisms more
effective; enforcing asset disclosure requirements for senior positions; and
introducing new technology into administrative processes to minimize
opportunities for bribes.
“Tackling
corruption will contribute to a wider objective of the Strategic Action Plan:
the development of greater trust between civil servants and the communities
that they serve,” said the State Counsellor.
“Civil
service reform is always a complex undertaking- but especially so in a country
such as ours, where we seek to change not only the existing structures and
processes, but also to reform a deep-seated institutional culture, while at the
same time preparing for the opportunities and challenges of a federal future,”
she added.
Democracy
places upon civil servants new and demanding responsibilities. No longer are
civil servants simply expected to enact orders from above. Under a democratic
government, civil servants are expected to take initiative, to develop and
submit policy options, to propose solutions to difficult problems.
In
my time in the Hluttaw, and now in the Executive, I have been privileged to get
to know dedicated civil servants from all ranks and backgrounds, from cleaners
and gardeners to those who have reached the highest rungs of their profession.
So, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the civil servants
who, today, are working across our nation, often in challenging circumstance,
not for recognition or personal gain or glory, but simply to be of service to
the public.
No
Immediate solutions for low salaries
“We
are acutely aware that many civil servants’ salaries remain low, particularly
in comparison to counterparts in other sectors. On this issue, I will be frank:
there are no immediate solutions. The raising of salaries must be an
incremental process, carried out responsibly and sustainably, in accordance
with the resources available under the national budget,” said the State
Counsellor. While salary increases may not take place with the immediacy that
our civil servant may wish for, there are other ways in which the government
can and will support them.
As
a beginning, we will be upgrading existing housing facilities and also
constructing new homes for retired civil servants that they may live in
security and dignity after long years of service to the nation, said Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.
The
development of the Plan has been led by the Union Civil Service Board (UCSB)
with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is the
result of extensive consultations held over the past year.
Dr.
Win Thein, Chairman of the Union Civil Service Board said, “More than one
thousand people from Union Government, Parliament, States and Regions, civil
society and development partners, helped develop this Plan, ensuring that it
reflects what really matters for civil service reforms in Myanmar.”
“With
this plan, Myanmar has the opportunity to make its civil service more inclusive
and representative. A more inclusive civil service which is ethical,
meritocratic and builds on the rich diversity of the country will allow civil
servants to deliver better services and development outcomes for all people in
Myanmar” said UNDP Country Director Peter Batchelor.
The
Civil Service Reform Strategic Action Plan will involve changes to civil
service management across all government institutions, and its implementation
will be led by the UCSB, and co-chaired by the General Administration
Department and Anti-Corruption Commission. It includes a strong focus on
anti-corruption and encouraging ethical practices in the civil service.
Proposed measures include setting codes of conduct to change civil service
values and mindsets, more training, and better ways for civil servants and
ordinary people to report corruption.
The
Plan was launched at the start of a three-day Knowledge Forum on Public Service
Motivation, held in Nay Pyi Taw and attended by 400 people. The Forum was
co-organized by UCSB and UNDP.
Following
the opening ceremony, the event continued with the attendance of Vice President
U Myint Swe.
Also
present at the ceremony were Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw U Win Myint, Speaker of
Amyotha Hluttaw Mahn Win Khaing Than, Chairman of the Constitutional Tribunal
of Myanmar U Myo Nyunt, Chairman of the Union Election Commission U Hla Thein,
Union ministers, Union Attorney-General, Union Auditor-General, Chairman of the
Union Civil Service Board, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Chairman
of the Myanmar Human Rights Commission, chief ministers, deputy ministers, MPs,
diplomats and personnel from UN agencies and INGOs.
(Full
Speech of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is available at www.
globalnewlightofmyanmar.com)
Ref;
The Global New Light of Myanmar
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