Yes, scrap unnecessary allowances

I REFER to the letter “Examine more areas of civil service pay for more cuts” by TK Chua (The Star, Dec 27; online at bit.ly/star_cuts): I absolutely applaud the comment made even though I’m a civil servant myself. I’ve been working in the government sector for more than 10 years.

When I was asked recently whether the government intends to scrap all civil servants’ pensions, I replied that it’s impossible to do so for current recruits unless Malaysia experiences a severe crisis like Venezuela. As we know, Venezuela was once South America’s richest nation but owing to political corruption, economic mismanagement and a high dependence on oil, the country is currently in extreme crisis. I definitely don’t want Malaysia to end up like that.

Thank God the rakyat removed the previous government that was enmeshed in financial scandals. Although citizens are dissatisfied with the current government, I think it should take the daring step to scrap all unnecessary allowances for civil servants and stop unnecessary wastage to bring back financial stability to Malaysia. For instance, politicians get a few pensions for the various posts they hold as ministers, MPs, etc; all these should be reviewed thoroughly.

As for me, I was attracted to become a government servant because of job stability and the pension scheme. I don’t enjoy all the perks of the private sector yet I’m content as I know the government will recognise my contributions via the pension payments.

My parent is a retired nongraduate government servant and he, too, depends greatly on the few thousand ringgit pension he receives monthly.

As a government servant, I know allowances are not permanent and can be reviewed and revoked at any time. Therefore, I will always be prepared to face any uncertainties and am always thrifty.

A government job doesn’t offer a high salary (unless you are a highly ranked officer) but it offers a sense of security and fulfilment, things that can’t be bought with money.