BY: ADDA BEGAM

Many right thinking Malaysians questioned the motive and objective of the Anwar regime to give a pay hike to civil servants at a time when the government is tottering on the brink of not being able to meet existing financial commitments
.
It looks as if Anwar was under mounting pressure to do something for civil servants in exchange for their loyalty and allegiance to him and to ensure his administration does not collapse under the pressure it is facing.

Either way, any pay hike to an employee must be based on deliverables and must also be commensurate with productivity levels to justify a pay hike which should not be made under duress or according to the whims and fancies of the government.

In Malaysia, unfortunately, the public delivery system is suspect and according to many independent surveys and studies, the productivity of civil servants has always ranked lowly and this is why giving pay hikes must be discretionary.

In another more scary scenario, acts of bribery, corruption and wrongdoings in government are perceived to be widespread and rampant and there is also a very large and strong possibility that these acts are now at runaway levels.

While once again the taxpayer has to foot the bill to this pandering and unjustified pampering of the civil service, it really looks now as if Anwar has reneged on quite a number of his election manifesto promises.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher