Nasi Lemak & Nescafe Tarik

CIVIL SERVANTS DILEMMA

Civil servants do have stories to tell.

The civil servants are forever linked with the price increase of essential food and household items. If there is a salary increase or end of year bonus, the said prices will automatically goes up, the reason simply because of gaji pegawai kerajaan dah naik or bonus dah dapat.

Workwise, they said, sometimes its very difficult to get something done quickly, especially if it involves policy matters. For example a simple statement had to go through different levels of officers up to the top for it to get cleared. Its worse if the top guy is not around, especially when he had declared `I’ll run the Ministry’ the very first day he took the job.

And if something goes wrong, the public will go for their heads, not the Minister’s and if its the other way around, the media and the public will shower him with praises, never acknowledging the fact that they (the civil servants) are the one who did all the dirty works.

They also told me that the working environement are so cooked up with pressures that now its compulsory to have a counseling officer in every government Ministry. 

Of course, they have jokes to tell too.

The price of mutton went down drastically abroad after the formation of the new Cabinet and in contrast, it shot up domestically. Its because of a Minister who is well known for his fondness and craving for daging kambing. Blame it on his origins?

And there was a story which a Minister and his wife acted like they forgot to bring their money to buy souvenirs and the civil servant ended up paying for it from his own pocket. Its true, they insisted.

Another told me that he’ll wait until the optional retirement age to get his pensions and gratuities and after that he will bid farewell to the civil service. With his experiences and contacts he will open a business and be free of all the bullshit of being a civil servant.

Might even consider getting into politics.