Wednesday, May 22, 2019

RAYA BONUS/AID - Injustices and Discrimination? For all poor - not just government employees?GLCs?

All Malaysians are the concern of government - and that means all workers too, not just civil servants. 

Of primary concern must be the POOR, be they workers, self-employed, the elderly, etc... and, in the determination of who is the 'poor', consideration must not simply be the question of 'monthly income' but also the assets(land/shares/etc) that they own. 

Hari Raya is around the corner, and many State and even the Federal government, once again is going to give ONLY civil servants(government employees' Raya bonuses...great...but what about the other poor? Do they not get any financial assistance? 

Can highly indebted Malaysia afford such generosity - to even high income workers?

Is Pakatan Harapan just simply following blindly what UMNO-BN did in the past?

After all, civil servants or public sector workers are today maybe in a much better position compared to private sector workers(including also the 'outsourced workers' supplied by 'contractors for labour' and the self employed, etc.. ) - they have employment security (regular employment until retirement age, annual wage increments, increasing rights - like number of annual leave, etc... , other benefits(low interest loans for housing, etc)...WHILE PRIVATE SECTOR workers today are increasingly without employment security( with the rise of short-term contracts and use of workers supplied by contractors for labour)...farmers/fishermen too are dependent on fluctuating cost and even 'weather'...

It is the peoples' money that is expended to employ and pay civil servants ...and now, their Raya bonuses?  What about the rest of POOR Malaysians...Is the governments(State and Federal) not bothered?

DETERMINING THE POOR? WHO ARE THE POOR?

POOR - Do we now have a comprehensive list of the 'poor and needy' individuals in Malaysia? Previous surveys seems to be only concerned with 'households' - that meaning all who live within a house? What we need is a comprehensive list of poor individuals. 

Income Tax Returns - well, it may be best that ALL Malaysians should be required to make submissions, irrespective of whether they qualify to pay income tax or not - that will help the government identify the poor and needy...(The Ministry could double check to ensure that they are really poor, deserving of government assistance...)

ASSISTANCE should be for all POOR Malaysians - not just civil servants for Hari Raya, Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Gawai, etc...and this assistance must flow from the relevant government departments/Ministries...

POVERTY LINE INCOME - Well, Malaysia need to speedily determine this, and it may be different from one region to another. Those in KL and Klang Valley really have a higher cost of living - so poverty line income may be higher that some other places..

Who should qualify?

- Individuals (who have completed education/training), above the age of 21 who are employed or unemployed who have no or low income based on employment/business activities/other sources of income like ASN/Shares/Rental/etc...who have/earn less than RM2,000 monthly?

- The Elderly (those above 60) - who do not have a source of income, especially those from poorer families or who are not receiving adequate support and/or assistance from their children, etc...who have/ear less than RM2,000 monthly?

- Home makers (housewifes or house 'husbands' who have to stay home to care for children/elderly..) should also be given such assistance..

The Ministry responsible for WELFARE should have a comprehensive list, and disbursement of assistance must be done by the relevant Ministry...not through politicians and/or political parties.

Overcoming poverty and unstable financial security amongst workers?

To overcome poverty amongst workers, the government really must work towards EMPLOYMENT SECURITY(which means restoring regular employment until retirement/retrenchment - short-term contract employment must be abolished or seriously limited, 'Contractor For Labour' system must be abolished in favour of direct employment, wage increments must be a reality,...), 

Civil Servants or Public Servants or 'Penjawat Awam' getting bonuses for Hari Raya - does that also include the 'outsourced' workers that some government departments use - or will these bonuses be given to the 'Contractor For Labour'...who takes a cut and gives some to their workers?? 

RAYA BONUSES - FOR WHOM AND BASIS? (listing just about few states not all) - See my comments and questions in BLUE for reflection. You may want to read the news reports below before looking at the comments ...some states paying fix sums...some paying equivalent to one month's salary(so, someone earning RM10,000 gets another RM10,000?), some paying GLC workers...???

- If only to the poorer workers, say those earning less than RM3,000 or RM4,000, may be fair - but when given to all, it is wasteful spending especially when it not a fix sum like RM450 or RM500 but 'one month's salary' - so those with large salaries like RM8,000 will get a RM8,000 Raya Bonus - so UNJUST? it is the poorer that should receive more aid to help them celebrate Raya or ...

- Why is SELANGOR government using Selangor peoples' money to pay bonus for staff in GLCs - which are companies? It should be company's funds that should be used to pay out Raya bonuses or other bonuses - and bonuses depend on how the company is doing...making profits or suffering losses - so ODD that Selangor MB using 'government funds' or is he using GLC's funds? Najib seem to have used GLC funds even to pay himself...according to allegations made in recent SRC case - is the Selangor MB also committing the same crime - GLCs, mind you are companies - some not even 100% owned by government - and all its decisions should really be made by the Board of Directors - not MB of Selangor?

- Why 'mosque and surau' workers - whose employees are they? Are they not 'civil servants'? Should they not be 'civil servants'? They get RM450 each in Selangor?
- Federal government paying retirees - but not State governments?

- Malaysia has a lot of debt - so much so many Malaysians 'donated' to help our country - so, can it afford 'bonusses'? 

- Federal government only helping 'poorer' civil servants - those below Grade 56(but how much do this grade earn?) - Right to provide financial assistance to the lower income civil servants and retirees - and best it be a fixed sum of RM450-500, not equivalent to one month's salary...The higher income civil servants do not need aid reasonably. 

- 'VOTE BUYING' - to ensure political support and victory in upcoming elections? What does EC have to say about this? SUHAKAM? 

- POOR, be they in civil service, private sector, self-employed, unemployed, elderly, sick, etc - they are the ones that deserve financial assistance...certainly not people who are already earning more than RM3,000...at this time, considering the state of financial affairs of the nation, assistance maybe should just be given to those earning less than RM2,000, and it really should be a fixed sum of RM400-RM500 depending on the state of government financial positions...

Federal Government - RM450 each to almost 1.5 million civil servants...with Grade 56 and below. RM225 special aid will also be given to nearly 800,000 retirees.

PENANG special Aidilfitri bonus of half-month salary or a minimum of RM1,000 to all state civil servants

KELANTAN6,000 state civil servants will receive an RM500 bonus

SABAH 21,000 state civil servants will receive their RM500 Hari Raya bonus

SELANGOR 19,244 Selangor civil servants will receive a bonus of one month’s salary, while the 739 federal staffer serving in the state will receive RM1,000 each.
- one-month bonus will also be given to 1,521 government-linked company (GLC) staff and those working in strategic planning organisations like Universiti Selangor (Unisel), Yayasan Hijrah Selangor, Tourism Selangor, Invest Selangor and Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor, 
 - "Mosque workers are made up of the nazir, a couple of imam, bilal and siak who will receive RM400 each. Surau staff will receive RM300 each

Penang civil servants to get special Hari Raya bonus

Bernama  |  Published:


The Penang government today announced a special Aidilfitri bonus of half-month salary or a minimum of RM1,000 to all state civil servants. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the bonus is given because the state government was concerned with the rising cost of living in the wake of the festive season faced by the civil servants. This will involve an allocation of RM5.27 million and will benefit 3,905 civil servants in Penang, he told a press conference in George Town today. - Malaysiakini, 13/5/2019

Kelantan civil servants to get RM500 Raya bonus

Bernama  |  Published:
   
More than 6,000 state civil servants will receive an RM500 bonus soon for Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob said today. Ahmad said the bonus payout, the same as the one paid out last year, will involve some RM3.3 million....-

Selangor MB confirms one-month Raya bonus for state civil servants, RM1,000 for federal staff

Selangor Mentri Besar Selangor, Tuan Amirudin Shari speaks to the media after presenting the 2019 Selangor Budget in SUK Selangor, November 23, 2018. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
Selangor Mentri Besar Selangor, Tuan Amirudin Shari speaks to the media after presenting the 2019 Selangor Budget in SUK Selangor, November 23, 2018. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
SHAH ALAM, May 17 — Selangor Mentri Besar, Amirudin Shari, announced news of the special payment today during a speech delivered at a Ramadan event with civil servants.

A total of 19,244 Selangor civil servants will receive a bonus of one month’s salary, while the 739 federal staffer serving in the state will receive RM1,000 each.

"The special financial aid called Insentif Mahabbah Selangor, with an allocation of RM33.84 million, will be paid out on June 7," he said

A one-month bonus will also be given to 1,521 government-linked company (GLC) staff and those working in strategic planning organisations like Universiti Selangor (Unisel), Yayasan Hijrah Selangor, Tourism Selangor, Invest Selangor and Yayasan Warisan Anak Selangor, with the amount totalling RM5.621 million.

The state government will be also distributing RM4.17 million worth of Insentif Mahabbah Ramadan to those running the 2,053 surau and 390 mosques in the state.

"Mosque workers are made up of the nazir, a couple of imam, bilal and siak who will receive RM400 each. Surau staff will receive RM300 each," he said.

Amirudin said the state government has also decided that Selangor civil servants will receive two months’ bonus at the end of the year.  — Bernama - Malay Mail, 17/5/2019

Raya bonus of RM450 each for civil servants

The special aid will not only benefit civil servants but also 800,000 retirees, who will each get RM225.
PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister’s Office has announced a Hari Raya Aidilfitri bonus of RM450 each to almost 1.5 million civil servants.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said the aid would be given to civil servants with Grade 56 and below to celebrate Raya.

“This special aid will also be given to nearly 800,000 retirees.

“They will receive RM225 each,” it said in a statement. The money will be paid on May 24.
The special payment will cost the government RM855 million. - FMT, 16/5/2019

Sabah civil servants get RM500 Raya bonus

KOTA KINABALU: More than 21,000 state civil servants will receive their RM500 Hari Raya bonus within two weeks, says Sabah chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

He said the RM500 was not much, but hoped it would help reduce the burdens of civil servants, especially those celebrating Hari Raya.

"This decision was made after we checked our accounts and taking into account the amount of loans the state government has to pay," he said after handing over Raya cookies and goodies to representatives of security forces here on Tuesday (May 21).

The bonus payout will involve some RM10.5mil in government funds. - Star, 21/5/2019


* Will we also be expecting financial aid during CNY, Deepavali, Christmas, Wesak, Gawai...Orang Asli 'celebrations'...??? 

OR maybe, we should be not be 'so generous' until our financial position is stronger...maybe other needs of the people should be prioritized - rather than having 'extra money' to spend for festivals...PH has revealed how UMNO-BN has left Malaysia in a very indebted situations - it is easy to just transfer the problems to the next generation ...or maybe we should simply settle our debt problems today...and that may mean no more UN-needed bonuses...only maybe some 'aid' as and when really needed...and only for the POOR and truly deserving...

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