Letters
by R. Ganesh
I was utterly shocked when I read today’s NST dated 2008/12/27, article entitled “ACA officers feel ‘demoralised’ over new salary scale”. In the article, it was stated that Grade 29 officers would be offered a basic salary of RM1,482.85 and RM3,246.48 when they reached the top of the scale. “The maximum year between the basic salary and top of the scale is 22 years while the yearly increase is only RM80.17.”
Police officers in the same grade receive a basic salary of RM1,423.50 with a maximum of RM3,282.77. However, the maximum number of years getting to the top is only 18 years with a yearly increment of RM103.29, the article said.
My question here is this, how do you expect an individual in power to refrain from being corrupted when he merely earns RM1500? Nowadays, one can barely survive with RM1500 if one has 3 or 4 mouths to feed at home.
After paying your housing loan, car loan, study loan, EPF, income tax, medicine and supplements, Astro bill, water bill, electric bill, insurances (health, car, home etc), education cost for your children, how does the government expect one to survive with RM1500?
Can you blame an officer if he becomes corrupt?
Those days, corruption meant satisfying your wants and desires illegally. In other words, buying your luxuries with illegally obtained money. But I think these days, people become corrupt merely to survive ie to make ends meet.
It is high time the government revise the salaries of government servants in Malaysia.
Malaysia is a super rich country blessed with abundant natural resources.
We are thousand times richer than Singapore with oil, palm oil, rubber, tin, iron ore, timber, natural gas, copper, bauxite, coal and even Gold!, and yet, Singapore is far more progressed, richer and first world status. Both countries also Merdeka around the same time.
Singapore has zero natural resources, so how can they be richer than us with a higher GDP than us? Even low level government servants there earn Singapore $4000 a month and you can buy loads of food for the family of four in the supermarket for one whole week for S$100.
Here, the same items in the supermarket, cost around RM400 a week to feed a family of four.
And yet, the government expects their officers to earn RM1500?
#1 by wombatahem on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:23 pm
Aye, I agree! What went wrong then????
#2 by mendela on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:29 pm
That is why Najib has been calling Malaysians to change their life style. BTW, making RM 1500 a month does not mean one would need to be corrupted. As a Government servant, there are lots of perks and advantages like free loan, free medical, easier to obtain scholarship and many others.
On Najib’s changing one’s life style again, feeding a family of 4 is an under statement. Most Malays (more than 85% of our total civil servants) have on average having 4 children, so it is 6 mouths in a family! Malay civil servants must practice birth controls and family planning in order to avoid the seduction of being corrupted!
#3 by hiro on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:38 pm
It’s a problem woven in the very fabric of NEP and absence of meritocracy. The government is afraid to lose the votes of a certain race by giving them crutches while their leaders pocket hundreds of billions of the years in corruption and abuse of power (this network of corruption is so very pervasive it can only take a change of government to surgically repair the damage). Keeping that race unmotivated to aspire for the best and work their guts out, brainwashing them that everything is well; substantial amount of them fail to acquire the necessary mental skills, knowledge and experience to compete with others in a merit based economy, i.e. they become very unproductive. The government then has no choice by to hire them – but their population is so big that it won’t be possible for the government to hire all of them – therefore even those hired – they start on very low salary and will likely to be so for some time to come.
There is no quick fix to this. The government will be hard pressed to revise their salary, especially if we’re already in recession.
Imagine what an Obama-like government will do – yes – we need a huge stimulus – but it needs an even more critically important delivery and implementation system now – some critical amount of money has to go to training and re-training, and creation of new skills and knowledge, and new economic growth areas for all these youngsters to participate in – completely merit based.
To digress a bit, that is why when the BN MPs voted for the MACC and JAC Acts recently, they do so once again with myopic vision very typical of BN government. What we need is an even larger picture – MACC officers need to be hired (and those already there be reviewed and retained or transferred out) based solely on merits, and their salary scale revised to befit their stature as a critical corruption fighting organisation. The question is are there anyone worthy left in the civil service to lead the transformation, because we can’t really count on the MPs or the Federal Ministers to initiate the real change.
Everyone is still under the impression that these Acts are mere delaying tactics by BN. Come next general elections, they will ask for some more time for JAC and MACC to work, citing work in progress as justification. The thing is, just like poor pay, Malaysia just don’t have the time anymore. We’re being rapidly overtaken by many other countries. It’s a crying shame that our leaders pretend as if we’re still a great nation.
#4 by undergrad2 on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:46 pm
“After paying your housing loan, car loan, study loan, EPF, income tax, medicine and supplements, Astro bill, water bill, electric bill, insurances (health, car, home etc), education cost for your children, how does the government expect one to survive with RM1500″ KIT
Lots of love and fresh air. Both of which are free!
#5 by undergrad2 on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:47 pm
ooop sorry it should be ganesh
#6 by undergrad2 on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:51 pm
Tell you what, Ganesh. Why not give everybody a flat $10k a month salary. That should, according to you, put a stop to corruption once and for all!
#7 by -ec- on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 6:56 pm
that’s why Najib rather takes care of Malays living overseas. To our brothers and sisters in Malaysia: “No eye see”.
#8 by eloofk on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 7:24 pm
There are more than 300,000 Malaysians working in Singapore working in all types of industries in the republic. Many of them are only unskilled factory workers, security guards, shop-assistants, nurses, you named it. Most of these workers are paid an average monthly salary of around S$1,000. Besides, there are also many other fringe benefits, like free lodging provided, free medical care, free transportation and so forth. The Singapore Home Affairs Ministry is now embarking on a recruitment drive to fill more than 1000 vacancies for their police force, immigration dept and civil defence units.
If my friend R. Ganesh is keen, why not try and submit an application for any of the posts. With an attractive exchange-rate, I’m sure the salary earned would be more than enough to entice my friend to seek the republic’s citizenship in the longer term.
#9 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 7:47 pm
If a pay raise is deemed to be the only viable way to discourage corruption among the Government Officers, then a comfortable salary upward adjustment shall be given to all the Government Officers. However, I don’t think the Federal Government of Malaysia can afford to give a pay raise at the moment when the national economic situation seems to have a fast deterioration in the most recent two weeks. Furthermore, the Federal Government is using the government recruitment in order to help some unemployed university graduates to get an immediate job. Even though the government job offers seem to be a popular remedial measure for tackling the worsen-off unemployment problem, the over-obessive and redundant government workforce will most likely add additional financial burden unto the Federal Government.
With the estimated government force of about 800,000 as at todate, any additional recruitment by the Federal Government will only create a clumpsy and inefficient big government which tends to waste a lot of tax-payers’ money in hiring redundant workforce which will never help much in the productivity improvement of the public services.
If the Federal Government really wishes to raise the salary scale of the Public Servants, then it is imperative for it to trim down the size of Government workforce before the salary scale has been raised in a hastily manner. However, this suggestion is meant for the consideration by the future Federal Government of Pakatan Rakyat because the Barisan Nasional Government under the lame duck Prime Minister will never have the strong determination to start a lay-off exercise which will most likely jeopardise the political popularity of the BN.
In short, the BN Government is running into two predicaments:
1. Over-hiring in the Government workforce which may force the Federal Government to run deeper down into the high budget deficit and high debt-financing crisis;
2. Dilemma of inability to trim down the over-obessive size of the Federal Government lest the political popularity of the BN leadership will be badly affected.
It is anticipated that the Malaysian Federal Government will eventually run into the high debt problems like those being currently sufferred by the U.S. Federal Government, largely because of the lack of the political determination from the incumbent BN leadership in the adoption of the necessary down-sizing strategy in relation to the clumpsy scale of government operations! As an immediate result of the low salary scale for the Anti-corruption Officers, the morality and the spirit of the Anti-corruption Officers will surely be low. It will also not be easy for the Federal Government to recruit the efficient and competent high calibre officers into the Anti-corruption Workforce since the Government’s salary scale in relation to Anti-corruption jobs is not attractive enough as compared to the side-income making opportunities (usually through taking bribes or through misappropriation of government projects or government funds) which one can find in other government departments.
Anti-corruption will continue to remain simply as a lip-service so long as the BN is to hold the majority Parliamentary seats which qualify it for forming the Federal Government. We can only see hope for change or true reform in Malaysian Politics when Pakatan Rakyat is able to win the majority seats in the Parliament. Therefore, Kuala Terengganu voters, please mind your vote and be thoughtful enough to cast a valuable vote for the Pakatan Rakyat candidate in the coming by-election!
#10 by chengho on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 7:59 pm
The government need to down sizing from Cabinet right down to tea lady and gardener . Give them better pay like Singapore do . Many of our uniform forces like police and army live as squatters .
You cannot attract good talent when you pay peanut .
As the saying goes you pay peanut you get monkey.
#11 by PSM on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 8:38 pm
Our PM in waiting Najib has recently said that Malaysia will consider helping Malays in other countries (i.e. Non-Malaysian Malays in e.g. Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, etc) to better themselves!
There are Millions of Malays, Indians, Chinese & Other Malaysians who are still poor & this PM of ours wants to use our hard-earned Tax Payers Money to help Non-Citizens?
Use the money to help the Malaysian poor or at least give our Police & ACA Officers better pay!
And this is going to be our next PM?! God help us!!!!!
#12 by wanderer on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 8:44 pm
The leaders of this govt should lead by example…
Again, one must tailored the family’s expenditure according to one’s income. Having one wife less will certainly help!
#13 by mifadzil on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 8:57 pm
Government need to consider private sector professionals to join the governance and contribute to nation building. Pay them salary and compensation according to current market and remove the rule that they need to start from lowest level instead put them direct to level that they are qualified. Then, remove those incompetence and non-loaded government workers. Install corporate governance compliance and ethics policies which are more updated which are preferable at private sector. “Aku Janji” should be revised to ensure that the workers can report to authorities if they encounter mismanagement from prime minister to lowest level worker. More compulsory training and awareness to all governance servant on ethics, compliance and working culture to change the mindset and working culture in governance (not like BTN which i consider political tools only)
#14 by Godfather on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 9:13 pm
Blame it all on Mamakthir. He created the most bloated bureaucracy in this part of the world, mainly for political expediency. To pay for this bloated bureaucracy, he kept salaries low and he closed one eye to the shenanigans of these bureaucrats so long as they acknowledged subservience to the executive.
He created universities with minimal teaching standards, and the product of these universities could not be employed elsewhere, except by the government.
He kept prices of essential goods artificially low to stifle dissent, and he diverted Petronas money to pay for these subsidies. That opened the way for rampant smuggling to Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The vicious cycle continues. Increasing pay is not the answer. Firstly, the country can’t afford it. The rating agencies have threatened to downgrade Bolehland due to the bloated bureaucracy and costs. Secondly, it makes a mockery of any promised reform on meritocracy and transparency.
At the risk of sounding mono-dimensional to Limkamput, stopping the stealing is the answer. Billions that are lost to the cronies and to the relatives of UMNOputras must be stopped, and the resultant savings could be used to improve salaries for those that merit such increases. Stopping the stealing also means that a proper example is being set for those down the line.
#15 by juno on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 9:14 pm
I don’t think its the disease, its the cause. Its pandemic- from Pengarah to the watchman . http://sjsandteam.wordpress.com/
The whole problem boils down to the basics — EDUCATION! The curriculum has nothing to teach on the basics for human nature , ethics. The shame is the top guns in govt are sent to IVY league Institutions like Harvard, and Stanford on short hops for ethics and local govt courses. Majority end up like what happened to the submarine and PKNF deals . Middle man business makes the loop complete. In the process all are infected and it goes from father to son. God help the future generations!
#16 by Godfather on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 9:20 pm
Don’t expect corruption to be eradicated simply through increased pay scales. The top guys are setting all the examples of theft, so everyone down the line wants a piece of the action too.
#17 by chiakchua on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 9:34 pm
We can talk, and talk, and talk until it turns blue but there is no hope of improvement with the present BN government in place. The only way is to vote in the PR then we may have some chance. Education is a total failure, how could we expect the whole problem to be resolved? The UMNOputras are seemingly telling all races to unite for the country, but what you see is total unfairness in every of their implementation, by the very same … who cries for unity! Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless!
#18 by hadi on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 9:39 pm
Actually it all depend, it is all about supply and demand and productivity. As it is now, they are being paid for doing nothing especially those at the top.
What is enough? there will be no end to it. What is important is “ukur baju di badan sendiri” but majority people get into corruption when their life style go beyond and off course their morality is questionable.
The fish start rotting from its head, that is the real problem with corruption.
Is it worth to pay them high if their job is to hit and spray the yellow water at us and enjoy abusing their power?. Before giving them the high pay, they must learn to be professional.
#19 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 10:05 pm
While increased pay scale provides no assurance for effective eradication of corruption, it does provide the basic essential factor for the effective implementation of meritocracy, which suggests that all merits shall be rewarded in accordance with their skills and talents. Like the Chinese old saying, “Don’t expect the horse to run fast unless it is supplied with adequate fodders!”
Therefore, the anti-corruption officers should be satisfactorily paid based on merit in order to ensure the best talented people can be attracted to work diligently in the Anti-Corrution Agency or its succeeding office.
#20 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 10:37 pm
If corruption problem does begin from the Top down to the very Bottom, then there will be nothing much we can expect from the incumbent Executive of the Government except for putting in all effort to overthrow the power-that-be!
I always insist that the true reform can only be made possible through a change in the Federal Government from the hands of BN to the hands of PR in view of the BN Government’s stubborn refusal to place the new Anti-corruption body under the scrutiny of a Parliamentary Anti-Corruption Committee and its refusal to make the new Anti-corruption body an effective safeguarding organization which is truly independent from the intervention by the head of Executive Branch, i.e. the Prime Minister and from the intervention by the Attorney-General’s Chamber.
The BN Government only likes to play some hypocritical show game through the Amendment in the Anti-Corruption Law but it will never show its true sincerity and strong commitment in any action taking in relation to anti-corruption. How are we going to trust the BN Government again when it shows no genuine intent of wanting to carry out a true reform through the adoption of certain transparency methods such as open tender system in all government procurement and project award? Therefore it is much better for us to prepare ourselves from now on to cast vote for Pakatan Rakyat in the general election or in the by-election in the near future!
#21 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 11:05 pm
I am sure remuneration is one of the factors bearing on corruptibility of police or ACA officers.
However according to IGP “police personnel are well remunerated and as such, the issue of low pay being a key factor for graft in the police force is not an issue. “Wasn’t there a recent pay increase for police personnel, is it necessary to hike their salaries again so soon? What they are getting now is enough. We should be sympathetic to the government and not demand another pay rise now but instead work harder,” Tan Sri Musa Hassan added during a ceremony to appoint honorary officers in the Higher Education Ministry’s “Suksis” programme at the Federal police headquarters on 23 December – ref Bernama Report.
Neither is the law ie MACC going to be the key factor.
I imagine the key factors more important than even remuneration or MACC to curb corruption are:-
(1) getting the right men for the job (of ACA).
If appointment – and promotion – continues to be based on extraneous factors like race or religion or political allegiance, all under the banner of the NEP, better reumuneration and MACC alone will not help.
(2) Leadership by example : if the tradition of political patronage thrives and the political bosses could continue to make money from their positions and extend that patronage/spoils to enforcers of the law to secure in exchange protection/selective prosecution, then nothing will really change, and the “ I scratch your back and you mine” party/merry-making will continue, better remuneration and MAC notwithstanding.
#22 by HJ Angus on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 11:38 pm
I will just comment on too many being employed in the civil service to enable the government to improve the quality and the terms of service.
Of course it is also related to the NEP whereby the government has been forced to employ jobless graduates and it has become a vicious circle that is spiralling downwards.
In Singapore, very few companies employ company drivers and secretaries for senior executives. Most MDs do not have a driver.
I saw the entourage of a 4-star General entering the Majidee camp in JB at 8am the other morning.
There was at least one car for escort and 4 police outriders – I don’t know if that is the usual routine or if a General requires 4 outriders to control traffic.
Even after spending RM billions on IT to improve efficiency, the government continues to increase manpower.
#23 by limkamput on Sunday, 28 December 2008 - 11:51 pm
How much do you expect the government servants to be paid when most Malaysian workers earn so little and with no benefit and job security. I think you know nothing about the intricacy of Malaysian civil service and yet want to give your half baked comments. Talking about one dimensional man, you certainly are one.
#24 by homeblogger on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 12:21 am
Quote : It is high time the government revise the salaries of government servants in Malaysia.
Malaysia is a super rich country blessed with abundant natural resources.
====================
Are you kidding?
Before you fellas shoot me for being insensitive, think about the repercussions. We have a humongously bloated government staff count. We are in this situation because we have to absorb a huge number of Tuans who are not employable for a wide number of reasons – lack of English proficiency being one of their main weaknesses.
So can you imagine if we pay every one of our Government servants what they “deserve”? Every Tuan, Tuan and Tuan will want to join our bloated Government for the easy life. After all, it’s just an extension of the NEP – “let the Government take care of us” attitude. Pretty soon, 80% of ALL the tuans in this country will be Government servant.
I regret that even many Tuan friends of mine have blatantly said that if all else fails, they will become a Government servants – no stress, pension for life, lots of leave, short Fridays, housing discounts, allowances. You name it.
We are experiencing this BECAUSE we are a nation rich in natural resources, but our life and wealth is beiing sucked out by a small portion of greedy people who are taking advantage of the NEP.
Can we expect an efficient and professional Government if they get their salary boost? Maybe if the NEP was abolished and the Tuans have to be the best and fight for a limited number of Government juicy, high-salaried positions – maybe then.
#25 by undergrad2 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 1:01 am
limkamput Says:
Yesterday at 23: 51.46
How much do you expect the government servants to be paid when most Malaysian workers earn so little and with no benefit and job security. I think you know nothing about the intricacy of Malaysian civil service and yet want to …”
The only expert on the “intricacies of Malaysia’s civil service” in the room is Limkaput. You guys ought to know. He has spent more than twenty years of his life in the service of His Majesty’s Government – and got a long service medal to show.
#26 by undergrad2 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 1:04 am
Of course, his name then was nothig close to his handle!
#27 by melurian on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 1:18 am
the author quoted “they be richer than us with a higher GDP than us” …. obviously he din do comprehensive research – sgpura gdp 222bil, malaysia 320bil. and malaysia affords to throw 4bil for pkfz, 1bil for johor ciq, macam-macam billion throw here and there and malaysia still solid. if sgpura to do this, they oledi bankrupt now. and today they nagged they’re in recession, and dr zeti says our economy rock solid!
#28 by mendela on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 1:31 am
To all Malay friends and especially to all poorer Malaysians:
I will say it another thousand times, the best way to be away from poverty is to have a smaller family size!
Family planning and birth controls are the only tools to create smaller family.
#29 by simon041155 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 1:31 am
I believe the only way to stem out corruption is to follow Singapore’s footsteps, ie. pay performance-based salaries at par with the corporate sectors to civil servants. If this step is not undertaken, no anti-corruption measures, no matter how nice it sounds to the ear, will ever work. That is not to say that paying corporate rates will stem out corruption… It is just a pre-requisite that must first be in place before concerted efforts are taken to root out corruption. But with a government like Barisan Nasional, you can pay 10 times the corporate rate and corruption will still be rampant. Well, I may be wrong, but this is the impression that BN is giving me.
#30 by butul on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 4:38 am
Mendela
You can forget about family planning for our Tuans.
They have been advised by our former PM to breed as many as possible with incentives given along the way. Afterall they get free education all the way up to University level and plenty of help, cash and the like, when they ‘graduate’.The government also absorb them in their service at incredible numbers.
There was a news item a few ago about five siblings(in a family of ten children) having to forgo school because the 40+yrs father met with an accident. While I sympathize with the children, I ask myself why they need to have so many children in one family when they can ill afford it. And the men can have up to four wives too. They expect the government to step in to help at whatever circumstances. And these people are brainwashed to hate other races who prosper because they(other races) have proper family planning and wealth created is passed on to next generation.
I just want to ask Ganesh how many people in Malaysia earns less than RM1,500 a month? Countless I dare say! And don’t insult these people that they will have to be corrupt to live.
#31 by undergrad2 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 6:30 am
“While I sympathize with the children, I ask myself why they need to have so many children in one family when they can ill afford it. And the men can have up to four wives too.” butut
In third world countries like Malaysia, where people do not have the equivalent of social security to fall back on upon retirement, where the cost of health insurance is expensive, parents need a safety net in their old age and that safety need is provided by their children. The more children they have the better would their chances be that they would live out their golden years. They need four wives to keep themselves busy because the cost of entertainment has spiraled along with the cost of kacang putih. Furthermore, what do you expect them to do with all those blackouts and brownouts?
#32 by Jackychin on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 7:59 am
Well, this situation has been discussed for many times for many years, nothing has been changed, nothing ever will…The strange thing is goverment officers continue to support this system strongly…The BN system…
#33 by limkamput on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 8:02 am
High hope to have children to take care of you when you are old, third world country or otherwise. Half baked again!
#34 by disapointed86 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 8:12 am
well said..i’m currently studying in United Kingdom..the starting salary for the professional group ranged from 1300 – 1700 pounds per month..just imagine..some people may argue that if you earn here and u spend here, there is nothing different..this is an obviously mislead information..let me clarify..let say a person earn 1500 pounds(starting)..1500 per month is honestly more than enough for moderate spending person..being living here for 4 months now..i merely spend 20 pounds per week for foods alone..no doubt the accomodation is slightly more expensive about 200-300 per month..but after deduction..there are still so much for saving…for a bottle of 2L coke (dont have 1.5L here as what you got in msia)..its like 1 pound each…and in some offers..you can get 3 for 1.48…now..can u imagine how comfortable working and living in the UK? provided you got a job??..even if you dont have a permanent job..the min salary for a partime(any job) is 5.35 per hour if i’m not mistaken..i hope the GOvt can see what i’m trying to say..2000 in msia is merely enough for a moderate spending person..
#35 by undergrad2 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 8:40 am
limkamput Says:
Today at 08: 02.28 (30 minutes ago)
High hope to have children to take care of you when you are old, third world country or otherwise. Half baked again!”
Limkaput has four wives. One to prepare the ingredients, one to make the dough, one to bake and the last to taste to see if the ingredients are right, the dough is right and if it is fully baked.
#36 by Mr Smith on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 8:53 am
Corruption, my friend, is a culture. Even the filthy rich are corrupt. The writer only speaks about the ‘poor civil’ servants. What about the rich civil servants in the Superscale categories?
Teachers, hospital assistants, nurses, fire-fighters all do not the chance the be corrupt. They survive with their small salaries. So why can’t the others?
Cut your cloth according to your size?
Come on we don’t need Astro. Neither do you need an expensive car. You don’t have to eat out.
Simple life, friend.
Don’t justify corruption.
#37 by limkamput on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 9:13 am
Ganesh, I have some simple questions for you: (based on what you wrote here: “After paying your housing loan, car loan, study loan, EPF, income tax, medicine and supplements, Astro bill, water bill, electric bill, insurances (health, car, home etc), education cost for your children, how does the government expect one to survive with RM1500?”)
1. Why do you think an average Malaysian worker, govt servant or otherwise, has to take 25 to 30 years to pay off his/her housing loan? How many years of working life do we have and why do we have to take almost our whole working life just to own a roof over our head? Is the price of home too high or our average income too low or both?
2. On average, a car loan constitutes how many percent of an average Malaysian worker’s salary? Alternatively, an average car cost how many times a worker annual salary? Why do we have to pay so much to own a lousy bone shaker? Where and what are the alternatives if we choose not to own a car?
3. All these taxes we paid, may I know where do they go to other than supporting a bloated civil service that enjoys endless streams of benefits and claims? How to do explain the conditions of schools and hospitals? I guess you have not experienced putting a child in a school of your choice or you have not sought treatment in a govt hospital. Where did all the big allocations on education and health services go to? Do you know?
4. May I know why we have to pay so much for that Astro service that essentially shows hopeless reruns? You should also ask why a monopoly that charge so much has just reported losses in their financial account. Has it occurred to you that either the monopoly licence was given to a hopeless person or there is more than meet the eyes?
5. On study loans, you should ask how much allocation PTPTN has been given so far and why despite public universities now allowed to charge “market” fees, government allocations to these universities have continued to escalate? No wonder most university professors are having jolly good time “seminaring”.
6. The starting pay of a graduate officer in the government service is about RM2,500 (with many tax exempt components). How much does a same graduate earn in the private sector? I hope you know what you are talking.
7. That article you read in the NSTP was not written by God. Wise up.
8. Finally, how many books have your read the last one year? Please, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. You may have just swayed the whole public policy debate toward a wrong direction.
#38 by gnustiy on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 9:33 am
During the 22-year reign of Mahathir, government servants increment is pathetically flat. But that do not justify corruption. I agreed with Mr Smith, we should cut our cloth according to our size.
My mom and dad were both teachers and they managed to make ends meet all these years, bought a house where we happily live in, a car to send us from point A to point B, we are fully insured, they also invest a little in stock markets, and have extra to bring us for vacation yearly though not overseas. And i was chagrin when someone earning more than my parents kept ranting that they don’t earn enough for a living.
One thing that I respect Abdullah Badawi for (in fact it’s the only thing), is that he had increased the salary of the government servants in a large margin since he took over and I hope the government will continue to do so in par with the market rate. Nonetheless, does the salary hike hinder corruption? Many will be surprise that the answer is NO. Why?
Oya, i noticed a lot of the chinese will make investments to improve their earnings, so why do the policemen (most of them malay) resort to corruption? Not trying to be rascist, but it’s a fact. When the government is doling out all those amanah saham with guaranteed >7% ROI, isn’t that enough for them where other races have to slog like horse and cow to make ends meet?
#39 by telugusanta on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 9:35 am
butul, you say, I just want to ask Ganesh how many people in Malaysia earns less than RM1,500 a month? Countless I dare say! And don’t insult these people that they will have to be corrupt to live
I am sure the writer was talking about individuals in power and not everyone who earns 1500 and below.
It is always more viable for people in power to earn high salaries in order not to be tempted.
Limkamput, the starting pay of graduate officer in the government service is RM2500? Are you sure? Like that everyone will leave private sector lah. Even private sector don’t pay that much lah. You contradict yourself in every of your posting.
What if I am an officer but not graduate? Or what if I am not even an officer? RM800?
#40 by monsterball on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 9:42 am
When the leaders are corrupt..it is a disease….carry downwards.
No0 matter how much you pay them…the will still be corrupted….UNLESS…real actions..like jail few ministers are done.
But no….downright corrupted guy is made a Minister and a Tan Sri!!
And on the basis salary….not too accurate…to say that with four mouths to feed..all of a sudden.It’s the staring basic salary for new young workers…mostly should be singles.. and it is actually much better than commercial firms.
And they do have many other benefits..like complete free education…medical cares for whole family…plus cheap rent….like RM45 for a two room flat..if they want to stay in govt. own houses.
That is donkey years ago…and I think it’s on gong?
To end..I quote Tunku Ahmad Rithauddeen’s remark…”UMNO is corrupted to the core”….and most government servants are UMNO members……or else….
#41 by telugusanta on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 9:46 am
disapointed86, I know what you are saying. 20 pounds can buy practically the whole supermarket and one can buy a secondhand BMW or Mercedes (10 years old) for £1000. Rental of a very good flat out of London is about 300 to 400 pounds per month.
Btw, this is what a normal constable earns in the UK per annum. The numbers beside are the years in service.
On commencing service £21,534
On completion of initial training £24,039
2 £25,434 (*)
3 £26,988
4 £27,838
5 £28,731
6 £29,550
7 £30,282
8 £31,251
9 £33,141
10 £33,810 (**)
http://www.police-information.co.uk/policepay.htm
#42 by k1980 on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 9:48 am
“Singapore has zero natural resources, so how can they be richer than us with a higher GDP than us?”
The total land area of Singapore is less than 1% of malaysia while its population is 20% of malaysia. So the answer is unequal allocation of wealth and endemic corruption in malaysia.
#43 by monsterball on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 10:35 am
k1980…Productivity…lead my smart uncorrupted qualified departmental managers…with examples…shown by serious uncorrupted Ministers..all the way from top to bottom.
In Malaysia…from top….talk big…talk race…talk religion…talk talk talk..no work…real corrupted ministers..all so filthy rich…from salaries far lower than S’pore ministers..soooooo corrupted.
YET!!…Mahathir was the one…to start belittling and insult S’pore to keep playing dirty politics..to keep his hero acting role…to make sure Muslims think of him so…fooling his race…for 22 years.
That man is a real devil reincarnated.
Just look at China….how they unite…how they progress..and yet these so call space age UMNO ministers..feel no shame.
They cannot change and unite us.
It will lead them to their graves…..admitting they are wrong…so they will keep on fooling and bribing..to try win votes.
Worst of all..are McA…MIC and Gerakan.
Talking about these three racialist leeches…make me sick to the stomach.
#44 by madguyho on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 10:42 am
Higher salary scale won’t reduce corruption, civil servants should have higher integrity. What’s is enough and what’s not enough all depend on one’s greed. Do you think corruption will stop when someone getting the salary scale similar to our PM and DPM?
Secondly, civil servants shouldn’t blame the low salary as an excuse for corruption. They knew about that when they apply for the job earlier on, so why complaint. Salary scale is just a scapegoat to justify their crime, quit the job if can’t make enough.
#45 by monsterball on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 10:56 am
UMNO will apply all stunts….to continue ruling us.
I need not spell out the details….like teaching 6 year olds kids.
Be calm…be brave…be smart and be disobedient with love to them.
That will make them crazy…just like the British in India…and the great Mahatma Gandhi succeeded to free India…..like so.
Lets read and know Mahatma Gandhi. He was a lover of all religions…all human beings and he died with not one sen in his pocket.
That’s how politicians should behave.
But under UMNO…it is an opportunity to get filthy rich…to be a politician and an UMNO members…so much so…majority THIRD FORCE.. they created…..have nothing!!
Greedy for money and evil doers can never be fair and sincere. It’s all acting and fooling…..less uneducated Malaysians…..especially their own race.
It takes two to clap a hand….but UMNO have few more hands to clap and carry their balls…submit to them as their second class citizens.
These are the scums of MCA..MIC and Gerakan…supporting to disunite all of us..to apply .divide to rule…to enrich themselves.
These people are daylight robbers….sharing the money stolen from all races….from the MALAYSIANS.
#46 by kerishamuddinitis on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 11:02 am
Ganesh, you shouldn’t be worrying about their salary scale. No matter how much they are paid, it will never be enough. It will always be a yet another bigger house, bigger car, 42″ LCD, mobile phones for all their kids, continuous upgrade of multi-media playthings, vacations over seas…at the way we are being tempted and assaulted by the very latest in consumer products from our kitchens to our living rooms, our homes to our offices, school and neighbour’s house, we will ALWAYS want the NEWER model. It will NEVER stop. You should be honest with yourself.
Especially so when you are a civil servant who is empowered to
penalise IF you so wish. And if not, then…’I was wondering how a 42″ LCD would look in my living room.’
You should be more worried about what 50 year’s of ‘handout’ culture is doing to even an upright, honest officer earning RM1,500 but now investigating a corruption case involving millions. And when this officer is surrounded by the ‘experienced’ lot who know how to exploit the ‘handout’ culture to the hilt, then the LCD comes easy. And with it the rest are just as easy peasy.
If we were to write an open book on corruption, it would be filled very quickly and there would be volumes that follow based on the various government departments implicated. And by level too. you would be able to tally the amount asked for and received to the rank of the officer asking for himself and/or on behalf of his ‘tuan.’
Ganesh, you need to open his eyes, mind and heart to the phenomena which has become part of the cultural values of the race. For the past 50 year’s they have progressed from ‘the special privilege race’ to ‘the 10% discount race’ to ‘the ketuanan race’ to the current ‘I have the birthright to do as I wish because I own Malaysia race.’ The rest, Ganesh, are pendatangs. You are a pendatang by their current cultural values – not worthy of equal treatment and respect. You owe them. Therefore, you pay – be it RM50 or RM250 or a 42″ LCD. And this is not because you faulted or broke a law or regulation. This is happening seven as I write this – simply because you want to submit your application. Simply because you want a fair chance at a submission. Or simply because you need to get your job done.
That’s corruption. And it has nothing to do with the salary of the officer. It’s just thier ‘handout’ culture meeting a new value definition that says ‘I have a birthright to do it – with impunity.’
#47 by madmix on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 11:15 am
For those who say civil servants are underpaid, consider the following:
There are 1.2 million of them that is a fifth of the workforce. The pension bill is growing by leaps and bounds as more of them retire and the live longer. This is just unsustainable in the long run. With declining oil revenues it may not be sustainable in the short run. What more increase their pay?
Please also remember that the figure given is the basic salary. With allowances their gross pay is substantially higher and do not forget perks like free medical treatment for life and a pension which those in the private sector do not have.
If you compare the lot of the lower rung workers in the private sector: security guards, supermarket workers, waiters etc. government servants in similar categories are a lot better off.
Even clerks and secretaries are better paid when benefits are taken into account.
A private sector worker like a secretary or service worker has no pension and if they have little savings are in for hardship on retirement.
#48 by monsterball on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 11:27 am
Cutting the cloth according to your size is exactly what UMNO keep doing.
NO no no…our sizes are being shrunk by bad management..by corrupted government..steal …con and fooling us…so much so…Malaysians are suffering….so much so…they succeeded to programmed a huge bunch of non productive Malaysians..mostly Muslims.
So they need to apply cover up upon cover up…year after year.
Smart Mahathir could have ended all these,.
No..he not only support …but brought the level of corruptions…with unproductive govt workers to a level….fit to live in kampongs and slow lifestyle.
So many love him….then slowly see the real devil at play…when the vast majority became the THIRD FORCE muslims…the have none.
To solve this problem…change of government is a must…and I hope Pakatan know how to pick and choose right managers…to jump start productivity….so sell more…earn more…and help every industry…..especially the small ones….to be rich…so that the can pay better salaries…and better salaries…bonus..year after year.
They should pick few hundred big and small companies to boost all up…with one government man sitting to watch those boss do not underpay their staffs…when huge profit are there.
It took China just 20 years…and by creating few million becoming .. ..millionaires…out of more than 1.2 billion population.
Look at the result after 20 years.
Govt officers….should be the super salesman….buy and store all goods and sell them…as aids….as help to poor countries…not give money money money.
Lets change the government first..to talk more details.
These UMNO munafiks have no good ideas.
Pakatan wlll surely go and learn from Singapore..China….Australia…America..their success….not like Mahathir..keep insulting them….to play his on going dirty politics.
By the way…Mahathir PROMISED to put out a list of corrupted UMNO ministers..one month ago…where is it?
I guess..he printed out the list….and found himself….top of the list???….hahahahahahahaha
Don’t be fooled by his resignation from UMNO BARU..he created!!
#49 by AhPek on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 11:33 am
Ganesh,
On a casual reading of your post one would tend to think as naively as you do that the problem lies in your argument that it is no small wonder that the officers in the ACA cannot afford not to be corrupt because of insufficient pay,and ask readers to compare their pay with those in Singapore.But you didn’t look hard enough and if you do you can’t help but come to the conclusion that the fault lies entirely in the racist policy of UMNOPUTRAS.The bloated civil service,more than 1 million employees,is the cause of this situation ie simply taking and providing jobs for any Tom,Dick and Harry as long as they have the right skin.This situation has gone too far to be reverted and even if you are able to increase their salary to come on par with Singapore’s it would still never work!The corrupt money is too lucrative(better than Singapore’s pay scale now) to give up for most of them have something like 6 or more young mouths to feed.
#50 by AhPek on Monday, 29 December 2008 - 11:55 am
Today,Ganesh,these people would be happy even if they are not paid so long as their jobs are retained for them!!