A former Deputy Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance has questioned a one-off Budget payment for 1.3 million Public Servants while “pockets of starvation” in the country were ignored.
Ramon Navaratnam said Public Servants led a relatively comfortable life, although they were not well off.
“At the same time there were pockets of starvation in the country which should have received more attention from the Government,” Mr Navaratnam (pictured) said.
“Some can’t afford three square meals a day,” he said.
“Some have resorted to raising white flags in front of their homes to signal they need assistance.”
Mr Navaratnam said the Budget should have been tailored to help these groups, with a special provision for them rather than Public Servants.
He said the just announced annual Budget appeared to be aimed at fishing for votes from among Public Servants while ignoring the plight of many people in poor areas — “this is un-Malaysian”.
However, there was praise for Government workers from Secretary-General of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (KKMM), Mohammad Mentek.
Datuk Seri Mohammad said Public Servants had played an important role in supporting and realising the aspirations of the Government, while helping the country recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the context of KKMM of course, the aspect of connectivity will be given priority,” Datuk Seri Mohammad said.
“Information and benefits from the Government must be continuously conveyed to the people, so that the goal of having no one left behind in terms of enjoying the country’s prosperity can be achieved,” he said.
Kuala Lumpur, 30 October 2021
