Bodek culture that’s afflicting the civil service

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From Murray Hunter

Malaysia’s brain drain is twice as high as the world average, costing the country a loss of academics, medical practitioners, engineers and research scientists who are tired of the corrupt political system, lack of a fair and rules-based organisational environment and the absence of meritocracy.

While racism plays a role in a culture dominated by ethnic Malays, at the heart of the problem is the practice of excessive servility to gain favour from superiors, known by its Malay word “bodek”.

This was identified by former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his successor, Najib Razak, who vainly attempted to fix it through government transformation programmes.

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