Their remarks come after Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg said he hoped that a proposed upgraded salary scheme will attract more Sarawakians, including those from the Chinese community, to join the state’s civil service.

Noor Farida Ariffin, a spokesman for the G25 group of former senior civil servants, said low salaries were not the only factor discouraging the Chinese community in Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula from joining the civil service.

“The main reason other races are not keen to join the civil service is the lack of opportunities for advancement and the discrimination most of them face,” she told FMT.

She said this was evident from the many instances where capable non-Bumiputeras were passed over for promotion by “less capable and non-performing Bumiputeras”.

“Unless and until the federal and the Sabah and Sarawak state governments introduce and implement a level playing field, the Chinese and other non-Bumiputeras would not be attracted to join the civil service,” she said.

Retired armed forces captain Wong Ang Peng said the Chinese community was aware that meritocracy was not the foremost criteria for promotion in the civil service.

While he commended Abang Johari’s intention to upgrade the salary scheme to attract more Sarawakians, including the Chinese community, to join government service, he said it was not enough.

“Abang Johari and the state civil service commission should also ensure that the government departments are run by capable Sarawakians to attract more people to join them,” he said.

He said these individuals must be knowledgeable, principled, fair, unprejudiced and ethical.