YANGON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has voiced the government's commitment to building the capacity of civil servants, equipping them with skill and expertise in a few years.
Aung San Suu Kyi made the pledge at the launch of a four-year civil service reform strategic action plan in Nay Pyi Taw Monday, official media reported Tuesday.
The plan, which sets out a vision for change over 2017-2020, is a blue print for extensive reform to ensure that the civil service is more ethical, better reflects the diversity of the country and is effectively able to help address the complex challenges of peace, national reconciliation, corruption and development that confronts Myanmar, she said.
Suu Kyi called for avoiding perception of favoritism or nepotism, saying promotion must be determined through objective and transparent criteria with no place for discrimination in any form.
Highlighting corruption as one of the challenges that the government must overcome on the path to civil service reform, Suu Kyi said the strategic action plan sets out a number of initiatives including strengthening the civil service code of conduct, training on ethics and anti-corruption, enforcing asset disclosure requirement for senior position and introducing new technology into administrative process to minimize opportunities for bribe.
Noting that there will be no immediate solution for low salaries, Suu Kyi said the raising of salaries must be an incremental process carried out responsibly and sustainably in accordance with the resources available under the national budget.
She further said that at the beginning, the government will upgrade the existing housing facilities and build new homes for retired civil servants to live in security and dignity after long years of service to the nation.
She also said the civil service reform strategic action plan will involve change to civil service management across all government institutions and its implementation will be led by the Union Civil Service Board and co-chaired by the General Administration Department and Anti-Corruption Commission with the cooperation of the UN Development Program.
The launching ceremony of the civil service reform strategic action plan was also attended by First Vice President U Myint Swe and parliament speakers.
