KUCHING: The number of complaints received against the civil service is on the rise, said Public Service deputy director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Alias yesterday.

He said for this year alone some 6,059 complaints were recorded up to September.

“This shows that the number of dissatisfied customers is on the rise,” Ismail said at the launch of the ‘Kumpulan Meningkat Mutu Kerja (Quality Control Circle)’ 25th National-Level Convention 2008 at a hotel here yesterday.

Ismail, who was representing the director-general of Public Service Tan Sri Ismail Adam, said among the complaints were slow or no action at all from officers, officers not being fair in making decisions, no quality service, misuse of power, corruption, misdeed and failing to enforce.

In revealing this yesterday, Ismail said this seeming rising trend (of complaints being lodged against members of the civil service) had started in 2005.

He said based on the data from the Public Complaints Bureau, in 2005 there were 2,707 complaints and this rose to 3,397 in 2006 and then to 5,347 in 2007.

He said even though there were ways to turn this trend around, the current scenario (of upward trend in complaints) was giving a negative image to the whole civil service organisation.

Ismail said applying the Quality Control Circle (QCC) in the civil service should correct the organisation’s dented image.

He said it was also his belief that the civil service would be cured of much its ills through its many efforts at producing civil servants who were multi-skilled and knowledgeable.

Ismail urged all heads of departments to continuously encourage their administrative and professional staff to get directly involved in QCC rather than just playing a supporting role.

He said concerted effort would bring about synergy to make all QCC projects successful.

In addition, he hoped that more creativity and innovation would be injected into problem-solving techniques and QCC projects.