New Culture in Public Sector Service

I come from the generation of civil servants who inherited the responsibilty of administering the machinery of government of this country from the mainly expatriate civil servants who were relieved of their jobs under the Malaysianisation scheme. Joining the civil service in 1962, it was only in the fourth year of Independence and although we felt liberated, there was also a sense shouldering the resposibility of carrying on the high moral responsibilty of an elite civil service tradition. Corruption among senior civil servants was unheard of and the stigma attached to any rare offender was socially sucidal. This breed is now gone and have passed their battons to a new generation of civil servants.

Today, almost fifty years later,the ethical standard of the civil service has been tarnished by stories of high ranking officials practicing all kind or "rent collecting" and abuse of power to enrich themselves and their families. Many are living way above their means and even the Director General of the very Agency that is supposed to eliminate corruption, is being accused of being corrupted. Who is to be blamed for all these? When did this all start? When is the critical turning point?
Can we have your views? Can we not correct the situation? I believe there are still many among them who abhor corruption, nepotism and cronyism and given the right leadearship, the civil service of this country can still be second to none. Or is it beyond redeption?

MSAbdullah.