THIS year's Majlis Perdana Perkhidmatan Awam Keenam function where the Prime Minister delivered this annual address to civil servants, was different in a refreshing sort of way. Not only was the message conveyed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi significantly different, the venue too was reassuring. Held for the first time at the majestic Putrajaya International Conference Centre, there was an aura of importance and grandeur added to it. It set the mind for bigger things to come as prompted by the title Merealisasi Aspirasi Rakyat Melalui Perkhidmatan Awam Yang Berbudi Bahasa (Realising people's aspirations through a civil public service). What is also new is the use of words such as budi bahasa — one of the trilogy of budi: budi pekerti and budi bicara being the other two. Budi has no accurate equivalent in English, although it can be rendered as “virtue”.