Regarding the stimulus package, I wish to give some very personal comments.
The Government will recruit 63,000 staff to fill vacancies and serve as contract officers in various Government agencies. For this, the Government will:
First: Expedite recruitment for 50,000 vacant posts as the support and professional level in the Federal civil service. For vacancies in the support group, the Public Services Commission will delegate authority to recruit to the relevant agencies………..
Ok, talking about government taking in more staffs to reduce unemployment rate among fresh graduates. Personally, I think this will not benefit the nation in the long run. The whole system in public service has just gone wrong. Staffs are not promoted based on meritocracy, instead it is based only on seniority. And if you really want to make public officers efficient, the whole system needs a reform. You can’t make government jobs into a ‘steel rice bowl’ (steel won’t break, it means that the jobs are super secured). If the staffs have the thinking that no matter how badly he/she performed, it also doesn’t matter because after all he/she will not be sacked, then how do you expect them to increase their efficiencies?
So, my humble opinion is Government must retrench at least about 5 – 10 % staffs. Promotion must be based on meritocracy instead of seniority. Look for top brains in the private sector or overseas (Malaysians who are working overseas). Pay these people market rate remuneration. We need to stop brain drain in order to make the government system more efficient. Although Federal Constitution Article 153 states that Yang di-Pertuan Agong must make sure certain portion of places in public services be secured for Malays and natives of the States of Sabah and Sarawak, this should not be interpreted as government agencies to be made a dumping ground for unemployed Malay fresh graduates. It is not a problem to maintain a certain quota for Malays but please take in only the top Malays.
Supporting staffs (those without degree) should not be recruited anymore as there is already a redundancy of them. The stimulus package talked about recruiting 4000 officers on short-term service with minimum SPM qualification and monthly salary of RM 1,200. I don’t know whether this measure will discourage SPM leavers to pursue their degree?
Levy on foreign workers will be doubled for all sectors expect construction, plantation and for domestic maids. The levy will be paid by the employers and not by the workers.
If you read this article by The Star – Bosses: We need foreign labour, you’ll understand that doubling the levies is certainly not a correct decision because the cost of running businesses will be increased. In this gloomy world economic situation, government should take measures to reduce cost of doing business but not the other way round! Furthermore, jobs done by foreign workers are dirty, dangerous and toilsome. Are you sure local people are willing to take up those jobs with meagre salaries? If they don’t, all the factories and businesses will be short of staffs.
The Government provides various subsidies, incentives and assistance for fuel consumption, food security, scholarships and educational assistance as well as social welfare programmes. Do you think subsidies of fuel is a good thing to do? Personally, I do not think so. Subsidies of scholarships and educational assistance are certainly the right thing to do but will it be done based on meritocracy or it will still have racial quota?
RM 480 million was allocated to pay highway concessions. Highways should be bought over by the Government! The toll rates will not increase after Government subsidized but what is the difference? Government is still using the tax payers’ money! The toll is a burden to all rakyat and it increases the cost of doing businesses.
And I found out that there is nothing mentioned about old people. Maybe it’s due to the fact that Malaysian population are considerably still young. But our neighbour Singapore and other developed countries like Japan are already facing aging population problems. It’s not too early for Malaysian to think of how to handle it.
A few hundred million was allocated to repair and maintain drains and roads, renovate, maintain and repair of welfare homes, fire and rescue stations and quarters, as well as public toilets in mosques, surau and tourist spots. These are all good measures but please just make sure those projects are given out on open-tender basis.
To be continued….
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