INTERNATIONAL Malaysia: Action needed to challenge ethnic imbalance in public sector
11 June 2012
Proposals have been made for taking action on the significant under-representation of ethnic Chinese Malaysian citizens in recruitment to the country’s public sector.
Mon, 11 Jun 2012
Proposals have been made for taking action on the significant under-representation of ethnic Chinese Malaysian citizens in recruitment to the country’s public sector.
Despite making up around a quarter of the country’s population, and over 40% of that of its capital Kuala Lumpur, only 2.1% of the 1.12m applicants for jobs in the Malaysian public sector last year were Chinese, reports national news agency Bernama.Among reasons for this under-representation were the relatively low pay and the long time it can take to progress to opportunities for promotion, says Datuk Omar Osman, president of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs).
Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive Tang Ah Chai suggests that non-Malays be given the opportunity to visit public sector organisations and be better educated in what the roles mean.
Government Pensioners Association president Datuk Paduka Raja Wan Mahmood also comments that history was one factor for the disinterest of non-Malays in the public sector, dating back to the British colonial era where ethnicities were strongly divided into different job types and industries.
Proposals have been made for taking action on the significant under-representation of ethnic Chinese Malaysian citizens in recruitment to the country’s public sector.
Despite making up around a quarter of the country’s population, and over 40% of that of its capital Kuala Lumpur, only 2.1% of the 1.12m applicants for jobs in the Malaysian public sector last year were Chinese, reports national news agency Bernama.Among reasons for this under-representation were the relatively low pay and the long time it can take to progress to opportunities for promotion, says Datuk Omar Osman, president of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs).
Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive Tang Ah Chai suggests that non-Malays be given the opportunity to visit public sector organisations and be better educated in what the roles mean.
Government Pensioners Association president Datuk Paduka Raja Wan Mahmood also comments that history was one factor for the disinterest of non-Malays in the public sector, dating back to the British colonial era where ethnicities were strongly divided into different job types and industries.
