KUALA LUMPUR: A veteran journalist has called for the government to provide transparent information regarding its current financial position and urged civil servants to exercise prudence in their demands for salary increments, considering the prevailing economic conditions.
"I'm sorry to say, those who are not on the government's payroll are sick and tired by civil servants, primarily Cuepacs (Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services) who are endlessly demanding salary increases which has become like a person asking for donations," said veteran journalist Datuk Abdul Kadir Jasin in a Facebook post.
"Other people have a hard time too and they pay taxes too. Every penny of their tax money is spent to pay the salaries and pensions of civil servants which include the Prime Minister and members of parliaments who are lazy to attend the sessions.
"In this situation, the government has to be honest (with the country's financial position) and not amend financial allocations or statistics to make it look good," he said.
He added that even if the government has to raise the civil servant's salary, they should find another way instead of using taxpayers' money as they please.
"If you have to raise salaries, find another way. After all, when the rakyat are in dire straits, the government should not spend taxpayers' money as it pleases," he said.
He added that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's 11 months as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance is enough for the people to make a random assessment of his performance.
Kadir said the act of creative accounting such as hiding that they pay off debts or redeem bonds under another title such as 'development' is an act of deceit to oneself.
He added that due to the current economic situation, the rakyat, especially civil servants, should also lay off with their hopes to ask the government for more allocations.
"If you pay a debt or redeem a bond, you should say that you are paying the debt. Do not hide under other headings, for example development.