KOTA KINABALU: Usukan assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak has proposed that the Sabah government establish a “representative meritocracy” system for the recruitment of state civil servants.
He emphasised that it is time for the government to implement a fair representation system based on ethnicity in the hiring process for public servants.
Historically, there was an understanding in place regarding the recruitment and placement of state civil servants that aimed to reflect a balanced and equitable representation among different ethnic groups.
For instance, he noted that in the past, if the President of the Kota Kinabalu City Council was Malay and the President of the Tawau Municipal Council was Chinese, it was understood that the President of the Sandakan Municipal Council should be a non-Muslim Bumiputera.
“Similarly, if a district officer was Muslim, the accepted understanding was that their deputy or assistant should be a non-Muslim.
Salleh made these remarks when debating the 2025 state budget during the Sabah State Legislative Assembly meeting on Tuesday.
He pointed out that sometimes this understanding is overlooked, and there is a tendency to blame the federal government with regard to the implementation of the MA63, but it should also be implemented at the state level.
He observed a decline in the number of senior civil service positions held by non-Muslim Bumpiutera and Chinese individuals, stressing the need to increase recruitment from these communities to ensure greater representation within the civil service system.
In this regard, Salleh recommended that attention be given to this matter to provide equal opportunities for all ethnic groups in Sabah to attain higher positions.
