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Cuepacs missed the point in ‘ah long’ issue – TK Chua

March 02, 2016

The warning and advice given by Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) to civil servants resorting to borrowing from ah long just do not make sense.  It is a typical case of missing the forest for the trees. Don’t ever imply that civil servants have no choice but to borrow from ah long. Cuepacs must first ask why civil servants are so special – why must they constantly borrow to support their obviously unsustainable lifestyle? 

Why are civil servants such a special group – borrowing like no tomorrow first from the government, then from cooperatives and banks and now from ah long? Are they the only ones with low income not able to live affordably within our economic system? Have they looked at non-government servants earning meagre income but manage to survive without endless borrowing?

Civil servants are indeed the privileged group in this country, make no mistake about it.  They have secured employment and their salaries are paid into their bank accounts every 24th of the month without fail.

The government extend them housing, car and computer loans the moment they qualify.  Some are offered resident quarters at very attractive rents.

But after exhausting the loans from the government, they were encouraged to take all kinds of personal loans from cooperatives. The cooperatives, working with banks, extended the loans generously to civil servants knowing that repayment is assured through monthly salary deductions. Most of these loans were wasted through unnecessary purchases and consumption to support a lifestyle that is totally unrealistic to their income level. Trust me, I have seen enough of this.

I guess through tighter bank loans now in force, they are resorting to ah long to continue their wayward way.  I think this will only lead to more problems.  When are civil servants going to realise that loans are income?

What kind of lifestyle are they having (even with fulltime employment) when they have to constantly borrow to sustain themselves? Obviously it is either their income is too low or their expenditure is too high. If they can’t change their lifestyle, then they have to seek higher income jobs. No amount of borrowing from whatever sources is going to solve the income gap problem. In fact, resorting to more borrowing is only going to make the problem even bigger.

I think the salaries of government servants in general are not really that low when compared with those in the private sector or foreign workers. Cuepacs should stop making up pathetic stories the plight of government servant as if they are really in dire straits.

Like all Malaysians, civil servants must learn to live within their means. They can’t continue to borrow thinking that their secured employment and future income is going to bail them out.

As for ah long and all the other loan sharks, it is time for them to realise that the ability of government servants to borrow is not limitless. They should lend with their eyes wide open and government servants should borrow with their eyes open even wider. What are these people thinking really, the Treasury will come to bail them out someday?  

Seriously, if government servants can’t take care of their personal finance, I can’t expect them to look after government finance.  – March 2, 2016.

* TK Chua reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.