EXPRESSING concern over delay in government processes, especially in filling vacant posts in the government, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday consented to the establishment of an online recruitment method for government posts, to be implemented by next year.

Through this method, job seekers can file applications online, with added facilities of automatic data entry, online acknowledgement of tests and interviews and announcement of applicant’s results in a short period of time.

His Majesty announced this in a titah during an event to mark the 21st Civil Service Day 2014 at the International Convention Centre (ICC).

His Majesty also expressed his dismay over the plunge in the Ease of Doing Business ranking this year, and said there is a need to know the causes for the drop apart from taking serious efforts to tackle them.

The country’s ranking in the latest World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index has dropped three places, down from 98 in 2013 to 101 this year. The World Bank report lists a total of 189 economies in the index.

“Recently, we were surprised by the nation’s ranking decline in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index, based on the new evaluation criteria.

“This shocking revelation definitely requires us to conduct a self-introspection to learn about the current status and effectiveness of improvement programmes, the level of commitment as well as the implementation delivery mechanism,” His Majesty said.

“In the field of procedures, rules and regulations, I would like to see the implementation to be more efficient and effective, because anything to do with discipline, for instance, is vital for a civil service that has integrity.

“Public services are continuous-ly facing various challenges in the midst of the current socio-economic developments and to meet the ever-rising public needs, public services need to be geared up and moved forward more swiftly,” said the monarch.

“The theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Urustadbir Dinamik Kearah Kesejahteraan Negara’ (Dynamic Governance Towards Nation’s Welfare), carries the message that governance is the pulse of the government.

“Our governance needs to be dynamic in transforming the nation, failing which the goverment would be weak and unable to deliver the desired target,” said His Majesty, adding that there is a need to be firm in identifying and facing any changes.

The monarch acknowledged the many efforts carried out to upgrade the leadership and management quality, noting that quality leader-ship and management determine the outstanding achievements in public services. “The efficiency of leadership and management, particularly the efficiency to tackle unexpected situations, is one of the prime issues which needs to be given sufficient focus.”

His Majesty’s titah also highlighted the alarming number of breach of trust cases in financial management. This includes bribery and practices with no integrity, which could spread and weaken public services if they are not handled firmly and swiftly.

Meanwhile, His Majesty welcomed efforts by the Department of Management Services, which is currently active in its management of auditing activities, not only in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of management in public services but also conferring star rating to organisations that meet the recognition criteria.

The scope of this auditing covers the Client Charter (Tekad Pemedulian Orang Ramai), Work Management Manual (MPK), strategic planning, reformation programme as well as customer management.

The monarch extended his appreciation to the award recipients including the Excellent Employee Award Section II, which was introduced this year, as well as the winners of the Public Services Excellent Award and expressed hopes that this awarding will motivate and inspire all public service servants to excel in their work.

His Majesty also extended his personal appreciation to officers and staff retiring this year for their contribution and services, praying that they will always be blessed with good health and continue to contribute to the religion and the nation. - Borneo Bulletin (28 November 2014)