It's double bliss for civil servants last week as the government announces plans to up the remuneration handed out in the civil service, on top of a 2.2 months year end bonus that is widely seen as a process of distributing excess wealth accumulated in our treasury. Though my initial indignation has for the most part evolved into forced acceptance, there are still some prickling issues which I think must be brought up for rectifications, especially since our government has always been known to embrace good governance, the ideology of meritocracy and the likes.
Before we even lay our hands on the matter proper, let us rewind our memory to the news report splashed on the front page of all major and minor newspapers last week, whereby benefits cited for the bonus hike included the relief of burden in low and middle income families. But the logic of this statement is elusive, considering most civil servants are well-paid and are nowhere near the fringes of poverty. How then can the media lump this exclusive group of well-protected employees armed with an iron rice bowl with authentic low income earners who have to scrimp and save just to make ends meet? There is apparently a self-afflicting flaw in making this argument to drum up support for the policies of the government.
This in turn orientates us to other burning questions. If the real motive of the government is to lend assistance to the needy, why not employ a more direct stance by putting the excess wealth to better uses in subsidising medical costs and housing loans for the low income families instead of implementing a GST rise and after that introducing a series of measures to neutralise the impact? And do ALL civil servants really deserve the bonuses? I'm more concerned with the second question here.
Truth be told, there are definitely people in the civil service who work hard and therefore are deserving of the increased pay and bonus package. But we can't help ourselves in recognising the undeniable fact that all occupations breed black sheeps, to sound a bit extreme. So is it unfair to sprinkle bonuses indiscriminately on each and every one? I afraid so. For an example off-hand, just look at the teaching sector. Indeed, the extensive teaching industry falls no short of dedicated individuals raring to put their education ideals into practice and realise their passion of educating the next generation. Yet, the conception that teaching is a safety net to fall back on in times of unemployment remains at large and that is attracting teachers who can't be bothered to build trusting relationships with students and merely see teaching as a technical model of transferring knowledge. There are even some who venture into the teaching arena equipped with a teaching scholarship but are in fact smart people who know how to put on a false front to pull a fast one on unsuspecting interviewers, hankering only after the steady provision of income and the accompanied advantages that come with a job in the civil service. Are they really worthy of the larger bonuses?
Even more so in the bureaucratic organisation SAF where there is constantly an under-utilisation of manpower, regulars are paid highly for a contrastingly small workload. Common sights in military camps are regulars sitting together at canteens chatting merrily and doing practically nothing constructive in one whole day. Of course, on the other hand, there are regulars who are being sent on overseas mission where they put their lives in danger to protect the country's image. These are but the minorities. On top of their already premium pay package, is such a high bonus justifiable?
Assuming the selection procedures of employees in the civil service is aligned parallel to one another, this glitch exists across the board, hospitals, statutory boards and government organisations alike.
I urge the government to remedy this seemingly small but far-reaching problem, by perhaps adopting a variable bonus system where the amount of bonus one gets varies in tandem with the assessment of his attitude and efficiency at work. This might also bring about an increase in mutually beneficial competition in achieving excellence of work. Let us fight for a society which is just, non-partisan and meritocratic.
On a sideline, it remains to be seen whether private businesses will follow the government's initiative in adjusting higher the year-end bonus, given that my father did not receive a single cent of bonus from his company last year. A new year doesn't always spells good in some families...
scribbled at 11:27 PM
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