AT TAXPAYERS' EXPENSE

Source: The Star

When it comes to records, Malaysia probably holds the world's record in terms of the biggest civil service - 1.3 million civil servants for a population of 28 million. Now we can add another record - 2.1 million RELA volunteers.

Don't be fooled by the word 'volunteers'. Every one of these corps members is paid an allowance, which the Deputy PM saw fit to raise by another RM150 recently. Allowance aside, their uniforms alone add up to a tidy sum. And that's not all. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong says the ministry is hoping to increase this number to 2.6 million by December! OMG!!


300,000 - that's just for Selangor alone!

With numbers like these, you would expect a high level of efficiency in the civil service and low crime rate. Sadly, that's not the case. You and I know how frustrating it can be to deal with civil servants. And you and I know we don't feel safe even in our own neighbourhood. The rise in gated communities attests to this. (Click here for the roles and functions of RELA.)

I don't even want to start on the Auditor-General's Report of numerous cases of mismanagement of funds, corruption, inflated prices and reckless spending.

Nothing can justify spending RM300,000 on just one meal!

The latest government agency under investigation is Yayasan Selangor. Consider these expenses:

~ RM300,000 for a luncheon to celebrate Yayasan Selangor's 40th anniversary. (This was cancelled on the orders of the Selangor Sultan.)
~ RM170,000 for a buka puasa function
~ RM320,000 for a Hari Raya event

Civil servants sure love to eat! Especially when they don't have to pay for the lavish spread.

And I just read that PKNS (Selangor State Development Board) spent RM520,000 on astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor's wedding extravaganza last month.

Who are the people who signed on the dotted line to approve all these large sums of money? Are they to remain nameless and faceless?

I am sure all this is just the tip of the iceberg. What else is waiting to be unearthed?