Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan

At Your ServiceFor us in the public service, the role, function and even scope of public complaintshas been redefined in its breadth, depth and importance. Today, the second mostsenior person in the agencies and ministries is assigned responsibility of publiccomplaints. In essence, the deputy secretaries-general, deputy directors-general anddeputy state secretaries are now responsible for ensuring a speedy resolution ofpublic complaints lodged against their respective agencies. This is a leapfrog changefor the service; a change instituted to ensure Malaysia does not lose pace in itsrelevance globally. The responsibility of handling complaints is no longer confinedonly to specific agencies, but to everyone. This culture is being driven and institutedin the Service through the ‘No Wrong Door Policy’.The Chief Secretary to the Government reiterated this point in his column recently,stating — “Every public official must have the competency of a Public ComplaintsBureau” and “Complaints management must be the ‘problem’ of every official.”(The Star, Saturday, June 13, 2009).The journey to government agencies is oftenseen as a dreaded voyage for most. Theperception has always been – they will notbe served and complaints will fall on deafears and filed into a big black hole.Many accounts of horror stories have been written of the expedition from oneagency to another, being treated like a child by government officials, treatedindifferently and/or rudely by the “I know it all” counter staff with the “don’tquestion me” attitude and not to mention the endless long waiting period withouta firm decision for an application.These perceptions and anecdotes, whilst having its justifications for its criticisms,cannot afford to continue. The basic question for the service – how do weeffectively manage complaints in public sector agencies? Fundamentally, the publicsector needs to take charge and adopt a more proactive approach in engagingthe media and responding to issues raised promptly. As the saying goes, “realitylags perception.” If we fail to respond to the daily complaints raised in the media,the public will rightly assume what was reported is the gospel truth. This reflectsadversely on the government’s performance and the markets’ responsiveness,114