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The end
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pg18-19
by Maria J. Dass
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
P
ETALING JAYA: Civil serv-
ants are given the leeway to
take on second jobs and delve
in businesses to supplement
their income but it must not
be in conflict with their government
jobs.
“The second jobs must also be
done after office hours and not affect
their productivity in government
service,” Public Service Department
director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam
told theSun yesterday.
Ismail was responding to a Ber-
nama report quoting Cuepacs as
calling for leniency when dealing
with civil servants who are in debt
and are taking on extra jobs to top up
their income.
Cuepacs secretary-general
Ahmad Shah Mohd Zin said about
40% of the country’s 1.2 million civil
servants are in debt and have take-
home salaries less than 40% of their
monthly income.
Ismail said: “Those who want to
take on additional jobs have to first
get permission from their depart-
ment heads. I do not know how the
estimation that 40% of civil servants
are in debt was reached but if this is
true, it is a big number, and comes
as a surprise especially since support
staff, especially those living in the
city had received good increments
over the last two years.”
He said civil servants’ spending
and lifestyle should commensurate
with their earnings.
Giving examples of conflict of
interest with respect to the second
source of income, he said policemen
working with security companies
and teachers setting up tuition cen-
tres can be construed as conflict of
interest and thus subject to discipli-
nary action.
In the Bernama report, Ahmad
Shah said heads of ministries and
departments should be humane in
dealing with civil servants who are
in debt as this group of workers
needed “special attention as they
may be vulnerable to corruption and
moonlighting”.
Almost 450,000 of the civil serv-
ants are in debt and their take-home
salary is less than 40% of their
Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)
» Bigger role for Rukun Tetangga pg2 » Mousavi rejects partial vote recount pg9
PSD: Second
jobs OK but ...
» THEY MUST NOT BE IN CONFLICT WITH GOVT JOBS
» MUST BE DONE AFTER OFFICE HOURS
monthly pay, he said, adding that the
bulk of their salaries is deducted at
source as payment for various loans
– housing, cars, renovations, educa-
tion and hospitalisation.
Cuepacs’ stand is that these offic-
ers need to be “rehabilitated” before
any disciplinary action is taken
against them.
“What is happening now is that
the heads of department usually find
the easy way out by taking discipli-
nary action, like stopping increments,
denying promotions and suspension
from duty, thus aggravating the
situation.”
Ahmad Shah said hundreds of
civil servants are moonlighting as
taxi drivers, petty traders, direct sales
agents and watchmen to make ends
meet.
Although the government is
aware of the situation and has taken
some positive steps like giving them
official permission to work part-time,
it is not enough, he said.
“The high cost of living, especially
in the urban areas, is eating into their
income, thus causing them to be
constantly in debt,” he said.
Federation of Malaysian Con-
sumer Associations (Fomca) sec-
retary-general Muhammad Shaani
Abdullah agreed that the high cost of
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Award winning newspaper
for excellence in
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No. 4790 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)
Monday
June 29, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com
News without
borders
Kesedar’s Tuan
Aziz is BN’s man
for Manek Urai
KUALA KRAI: Kesedar project
monitoring division manager Tuan
Aziz Tuan Mat is the Barisan Nasional
(BN) candidate for the Manek Urai
state by-election on July 14.
The selection of Tuan Aziz, 39, who
is Kuala Krai Umno Youth chief, was
announced by party deputy president
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a function
in Kampung Sok Luar, Manek Urai,
here.
Muhyiddin, when making the
announcement, said Tuan Aziz had
the undivided support of the party
leadership, including Umno president
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, and all
levels of the party right down to the
grassroots.
He said it had been difficult in
selecting the candidate because
there were many eligible people.
“Nevertheless, we considered the
matter in detail. We are fielding a
candidate who is well accepted by the
constituents,” he added. – Bernama
living is one factor contributing to the
KAMARIDUAN MOHD NOR/THESUN
debts of civil servants.
“It is a myth that civil servants are
spendthrifts and don’t know how to
manage money. The truth is that
civil servants’ salaries have not kept
in tandem with the increase in the
cost of living,” he said.
Muhammad said if the govern-
ment is unable to increase salaries,
it can assist these civil servants in
many other ways to cope with the
rising cost of living.
Some of the areas where it can
help are to improve the public trans-
portation system to make it affordable
and reliable, provide better medical
facilities and more scholarships,
open special cooperatives, offer soft
loans for housing and other needs
and give discounts on utilities.
Taking no chances ...
This is no clinic but an office at
Universiti Malaya where freshmen
registering for the 2009/2010
intake yesterday were asked to fill
medical declaration forms and were
screened to ensure they were free
of Influenza A(H1N1) symptoms.
The same procedure was observed
in all other public universities.
See also reports on Page 4