THE performance of civil servants in Penang has received high marks from state secretary Datuk Rosli Isa after he revealed that none of 3,867 employees were charged by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) last year.
He said that this was one element for Penang and its supporting cadre of civil servants to be proud about but stressed that there was always room for improvement in terms of the delivery system.
Speaking after the monthly civil servant gathering at The Top in Komtar, Rosli said the conduct of the civil servants is generally exemplary.
Present were Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and his two deputies Jagdeep Singh Deo and Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid.
Even the auditor-general’s annual report indicates that Penang is among the top states in managing its accounts well, said Rosli.
Asked about the role of the civil servants in mitigating tomorrow’s four-day scheduled water cut where up to some 600,000 account holders are affected, Rosli said that a directive was issued for all agencies involved to aid the consumers here.
“We are ready for this form of crisis management. Actually, even in Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley), there are substantial days of water cuts. It is expected.”
But Rosli acknowledged that in Penang, it has become a challenge due to reports that many factories and commercial enterprises were choosing to cease operations throughout the four-day cut, which begins tomorrow until Saturday.
He also pledged to aid the Penang Water Supply Corporation’s (PBAPP) call centre after it was told that the drop call rates are high.
“We will deploy staffers 24 hours throughout the period.”
Meanwhile, PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said they were ready to ensure the maintenance and resumption of supply services were done as effectively as possible.
This shutdown will cause a scheduled water supply interruption (SWSI) that will affect about 590,000 consumers in Seberang Prai and the island.
He said PBAPP will deploy a fleet of 99 water tankers, including 27 “jumbo tankers” (maximum capacity 40,000L), to deliver water to affected consumers.
There are hundreds of additional static tanks set up by the elected representatives in the majority of the constituencies. – The Vibes, January 9, 2024
