THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT, MALAYSIAAhmad SarjiPelanduk Publications, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, 425 pp.

This elegantly bound and illustrated book is written by Ahmad Sarji, former Chief Secretaryto the Malaysian Government. As the author explains in his own preface: `It is neither anautobiography nor a memoir. What it sets out to do is to present a description of the post ofChief Secretary to the Government, in terms of its origins and historical development, and ofits past holders. It is also intended to put on record the present writer's own experience asChief Secretary, and provide an inside look at what is the most senior and also one of the leastwritten about positions in the Civil Service.'

In a particularly welcome later paragraph, Ahmad Sarji states: `It is my belief that by liftingjust a corner of that veil . . . those who follow will be provided with some knowledge of itsbackground. Feeling as strongly as I do about the importance for members of the Civil Servicein particular, and of the general public at large, to know and understand how the Governmentmachinery works and of the key role in it of this post, it is my modest hope that this book willthrow some light on the depth and breadth of the duties and responsibilities of the of®ce ofChief Secretary to the Government.'

The book, ®ttingly, carries a foreword by the Prime Minister. Therein he states: `That theexperiences and accounts of past and current Chief Secretaries have been compiled andpresented in a coherent manner is illustrative of Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji's disposition towardsmaintaining excellence and ensuring that various aspects of the civil service are appropriatelyrecorded. His tireless effort has yielded results that will bene®t not only the civil service but thegeneral public.'

Chapters I±VI provide a well-researched account of the evolving role of ChiefSecretaryÐfrom Resident General (1896±1911) through to the post-independence period(1957±1990). Chapters VII and IX review the appointment and its workings, whilstChapters X±XVIII describe the various reforms that have taken place in the Malaysiancivil service over recent years. Many of these have been assessed in this journal: the newremuneration system, right sizing, the tiered civil service, impartiality, values, ISO 9000,development functions and traditions and institutions. The ®nal three chapters recount thevarious memorials and tributes, honours and awards that have accrued in completing thisstewardship.

From the inception of CAPAM, Ahmad Sarji was Vice President and is now President.There can be no better international tribute to a man who has combined scholarship withinnovative public management leadership in one of the Commonwealth's most dynamiceconomies.

PAUL COLLINS

DECENTRALISED GOVERNANCE IN ASIAN COUNTRIESEdited by Abdul Aziz and David D. ArnoldSage, New Delhi, 1996. 301 pp.

It is a well-known fact, say the editors in their introduction to this volume, that `decentraliseddecision-making ensures the well-being of all those who are likely to be affected by suchdecisions' (p. 1). Perhaps aware of the magnitude of this claim, Aziz and Arnold go on to setonerous conditions for its ful®lment. Local authorities must allow full representation to allsocial strata; they must have political and ®nancial autonomy; and they must promote`positive democratic and development values' (p. 17).

The great value of this book lies in its country chapters, which (as the editors recognize)show what a gulf there can be between ideals and reality. The collection is very tightlyorganized. There is a country overview and a district case study, by separate authors, for eachof six Asian countries: Bangladesh (M. M. Khan; Z. R. Khan), China (Wang; Cao andZhang), India (Mathew: Aziz, Nelson and Babu); Nepal (Amatya; Gurung), the Philippines

Book Reviews 553

& 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOL. 17, 541±564 (1997)