RETIRED GOVERNMENT SERVANTS: Their management know-how a huge asset

I REFER to "Why keep those who fail to perform?" (NST, April 18) and fully sympathise with the writer.

Why is that top government servants, who have retired, get appointed as chairmen or directors of companies when they do not have any experience at all?

The reason, simply put, is to tap into their vast experience and wisdom. Many of them who held senior posts before retiring have varied experiences as district officers, diplomats, secretaries-general, and others. They bring with them years of management experience which provide them with a helicopter view to look at things from a bigger perspective.

Those who had done the civil service proud and had become household names are personalities, such as Tun Ahmad Sarji (Permodalan Nasional Bhd), Tan Sri Abi Musa (Tabung Haji), Datuk Badri Masri (Astro), Datuk Dr Halim Shafie (Tenaga Nasional Bhd), Tan Sri Shamsuddin Osman (Employees Provident Fund), Tan Sri Halim Ali (EPF) and many others who have remained unknown, but have made significant contributions as board members and chairmen of government-linked companies.

The writer may have a point when he said "sack all the directors", but then what makes the GLC tick is the chief executive officer (CEO) who performs the day-to-day operation.

The board, being policymakers, depend very much on the CEO to provide accurate reporting. Based on a report, the board will then make a decision.

Being board members, there are some who are better than others in terms of intelligence. Being experienced and learned people, surely they will not allow the company to incur losses year in year out. It is a team effort, which requires synergy between the chairman, board members and the CEO.

If the CEO is like General Patton of the United States, he can bulldoze convincingly and get the board members' endorsement for the benefit of the company. If the CEO is someone who only makan gaji, then it will be difficult for board members to bring the company to a higher level.

For those who have never worked in the civil service, they may not know the wealth of experience and wisdom that senior civil servants have. Of course, there will always be the bad apple. But by and large, the government does not simply appoint any Tom, Dick and Harry to be a member of the board of directors or chairman.

There are many retired civil servants who are not appointed and a few have been known to open up restaurants, petrol stations, cake houses, duty-free shops and of course go into politics.

Working in any organisation, there is bound to be frustration.

It is good to take note of what George Bernard Shaw had said: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, they make them."

Hassan Talib,
Gombak, Selangor

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