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WE hope the new State Government to be formed after PRU17 will take speedy action to “eliminate” those “Little Napoleons” who are a stumbling-block to the Government’s development agenda. 

Send them to Timbaktu or Congo, or put them in cold storage or whatever. Promote officers who are not only capable but embrace integrity at work. How long more can the Government tolerate such misconduct? 

Apart from a front-page report in an English daily on this syndrome, your esteemed Sunday Forum earlier also exposed the existence of “Little Napoleons” in the State Civil Service but, no drastic action has been taken. 

We reckon the present State Administration don’t want to disturb the waters in view of the imminent Sabah election. 

This should not be the case. Do we advocate for progression or retrogression?

Word is it that the Tanjung Aru Eco Development (TAED) project was delayed to a certain extent due to the unwarranted behaviour of Little Napoleons, much to the annoyance and frustration of company officials. 

There are other glaring examples such as the Sabah-Malaysia My Second Home (Sabah-MM2H) programme which was also delayed to the detriment of tourism players, potential agents and investors?

We feel sorry for the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa) which has been relentlessly pursuing the formation of the proposed Lower Kinabatangan Management Committee for donkey years. Poor Sepa! If we are not mistaken, undue procrastination has been more than 10 years. Oh, boy! The records are there. 

Until today, we heard, it has not materialised. Again, due to Little Napoleons who have the notion that they are more powerful and can overrule the Minister concerned. Even the Minister’s deadline given to the officers to get it done, fell on deaf ears, not once but several times. 

The Management Committee in the interest of environmental conservation, among other vital aspects, is for the good of all parties, all stakeholders, isn’t it? So, why was it not been executed? sheer laziness or disinterest?

In one extreme case, the Minister in question approved RM100,000 for a particular proposed signage project for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (as revealed by the project proponent) but it was unexpectedly quashed by a senior official in the Ministry. 

It went viral that this official had the audacity to defy the Minister. 

Fortunately, the State Finance Ministry saw the tourism value of the project vis-a-vis British legacy and stepped in.

Such misdemeanour among civil servants was unheard of in previous governments. No official then would have the guts to undermine or sabotage his or her Minister in the days of Chief Ministers like Tan Sri Harris Salleh or Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan or Tun Musa Aman.

In contrast, certain senior officials somehow became blatantly emboldened during the tenure of the outgoing GRS-PH government. Incredibly, they called the shots, openly bypassing the Ministers concerned. 

For instance, in one particular Ministry, they (senior officials) were busy handing out projects to companies of their choice without even consulting their bosses. 

We hope the incoming government (whichever it may be) will not condone such malpractice, among its other priorities. Do a better job, please. 

Get rid of the Little Napoleons for the sake of the Government, Sabah and her people. 

Anti-Little Napoleon 

 

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