The Public Service Department (PSD) is in the process of drafting its Management and Human Resource Development Master Plan 2050 which outlines the expertise and skills needed for the Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) vision.

Its director-general Datuk Seri Zainal Rahim Seman said the PSD would be also be formulating policies related to management and human resource development centred on efficiency and effectiveness.

"In future, we might see certain PSD service schemes as as no longer relevant or improve these schemes by encompassing new fields.

"For example, we have come up with Digital Government (e-gov), so we have to have services that support this. This means we need experts like big data analysts," he said in an interview in conjunction with his 100 days as the new director-general of the department.

To support the master plan, he said action plans which would list programmes like Talent Management 2017-2050 wou d be created via the setting up the Talent Management Unit to be known as Supreme.

Zainal Rahim said groups of subject matter experts would also be created apart from further empowering

the Program Laluan Pantas (Fast Tract Promotion Programme) for high performing officers.

Asked on negative perceptions of civil servants which often make the rounds on social media, he said that he held fast to the "carrot and stick" principle".

"For those who perform, deliver results fast and are ethical, they will be rewarded among others under the Excellent Service Awards initiative.

"As for those who fail (to perform), we have the (Exit Policy whereby they will be given a year to improve with the needed counselling given. After that, if they still don''t show any improvement, I think they do not deserve to be in the civil service," he stressed.

Zainal Rahim added that the approach was needed so that civil servants do not stray from what they were supposed to be doing, that is serving the country and people and not put their interests first as this would tarnish the image of the civil service.

-- BERNAMA