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?

GOLDEN YEARS LOSING THE GLITTER

For many pensioners and retirees, the golden years have certainly lost much of the glitter. The latest buzz about the government's proposal to remove the subsidies for petrol, sugar, cooking oil and other essentials adds more gloom to the already bleak retirement picture.

Even if you don't drive, you still end up spending more on public transport as taxi and bus fares are bound to increase. And even if you are diabetic, you will still end up paying more for food as food retailers and outlets will use the removal of sugar subsidy as an excuse to raise prices.

Whichever way we look at it, our retirement savings are depleting at an alarming rate. Just total up your monthly expenses and see the amount rise steadily each month.

If the people have to make sacrifices, it is only right and just that the government should also tighten its belt. No more wasteful spending of public funds, especially on projects that do not benefit the rakyat, like spending RM20m to build the Malaysian Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo.

The RM20m Malaysia Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010

Or paying USD1 billion for the purchase of two Scorpene class submarines and the lease of a retired French Navy Agosta class boat. And the joke is, the first submarine that was delivered failed to submerge! Money gone down the drain? It would be interesting to know the full amount spent on boosting the defense system under Najib's term as Defense Minister. Are we facing a serious threat of external attack?

We should not only watch how we spend our retirement savings, but also keep our eyes open for any misuse and abuse of public funds. That's our money too, and we have a right to see it spent prudently and for the benefit of the people.

Footnote: Last year alone, the government spent a staggering RM78b on subsidies. This works out to about RM12,900 per household. Government debt stood at RM362b last year or 54% of the GDP. (Figures from the Star.)