Moonlighting Not A Wise Move
By Teng, Batu Pahat
A reader's opinion in The Star Online, 12 June, 2008
I do not mean to be insensitive to the plight of the civil servants suffering from the hike in fuel prices, but to openly suggest that civil servants can moonlight during the weekends (The Star, June 11) lacks wisdom.
Datuk Amirsham might not have the privilege to serve as a head of department in the civil service to understand why such a statement can quickly send the wrong message.
Even without that statement, the heads already have their hands full tackling the ineffectiveness in the delivery system of the public service, what more when the licence to moonlight is given and "legalised".
Is the government so desperate as to allow anything and everything to be done. Once allowed, there is no turning back and Datuk Amirsham even calls this move a long-term solution. I thought he would say it is a short-term measure to tide over this sudden increase in expenditure due to the fuel price hike. Even that is going to be detrimental to the efficiency of the public service.
For far too long the public have been made to suffer the lack of full commitment of the civil servants in delivering what they had promised to do by taking up employment with the civil service. That promise has not been fulfilled and the slide is getting more evident when the pre-occupation of the civil servants are perks and more perks.
Now they can moonlight. How are we going to ensure that their extra weekend jobs do not encroach into their very core responsibilities.
The evidence is so very clear today. I hope Cuepacs will also not be too pre-occupied with demanding all the goodies. There is a cost to everything we decide to do and to be in life. If it's service, let that be paramount.
By Teng, Batu Pahat
A reader's opinion in The Star Online, 12 June, 2008
I do not mean to be insensitive to the plight of the civil servants suffering from the hike in fuel prices, but to openly suggest that civil servants can moonlight during the weekends (The Star, June 11) lacks wisdom.
Datuk Amirsham might not have the privilege to serve as a head of department in the civil service to understand why such a statement can quickly send the wrong message.
Even without that statement, the heads already have their hands full tackling the ineffectiveness in the delivery system of the public service, what more when the licence to moonlight is given and "legalised".
Is the government so desperate as to allow anything and everything to be done. Once allowed, there is no turning back and Datuk Amirsham even calls this move a long-term solution. I thought he would say it is a short-term measure to tide over this sudden increase in expenditure due to the fuel price hike. Even that is going to be detrimental to the efficiency of the public service.
For far too long the public have been made to suffer the lack of full commitment of the civil servants in delivering what they had promised to do by taking up employment with the civil service. That promise has not been fulfilled and the slide is getting more evident when the pre-occupation of the civil servants are perks and more perks.
Now they can moonlight. How are we going to ensure that their extra weekend jobs do not encroach into their very core responsibilities.
The evidence is so very clear today. I hope Cuepacs will also not be too pre-occupied with demanding all the goodies. There is a cost to everything we decide to do and to be in life. If it's service, let that be paramount.
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