BY: CHRISTOPHER FERNANDEZ

The recent demotion by the Tourism Minister of the director general of tourism Malaysia and the subsequent promotion of another director to the post has created many comments, opinions and views on social media.

What was supposed to be a routine exercise has now become a full blown racial issue and right thinking Malaysians are calling out the former director general for not being submissive to his superiors and for insubordination.

In this scenario, the tourism minister is Chinese, the former director general is Malay and the newly appointed director general is Indian, which has riled up racist Malay Muslims in the civil service who believe government positions are their ‘fixed deposits’.

Witness how the baby talk and babbling of the former director general who got defensive in defending his position and how subsequently Malay racists played the race and religion card to their shame.

It is precisely for these reasons that the productivity and output of the civil service is low and they really should learn to practise fairplay and meritocracy like the tourism minister, to ensure only the best leads, irrespective of race and religion.

Civil servants should buck up and not throw childish tantrums when they are transferred, demoted or dismissed for not performing to expectations and the civil workforce must not view their positions as guaranteed for a lifetime of employment because of their race and religion.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher