Be thankful to PM, Jasa tells teachers

Teachers should thank the government and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for what they have received, said the Department of Special Affairs (Jasa).

Stealing the stage prior to the arrival of guests of honour at the Federal Territories Teacher's Day celebrations today, Jasa psychological operations division director Taharuddin Yaakob gave a short talk urging teachers to be "thankful to the PM" for all the goodies thrown their way lately.

"The way how to thank, is up to you," he said cryptically.

Regaling the audience with his own stint as a teacher in his early days of government service, he reminded them that since then, the government has done much to improve the lot of the teaching profession.

As an example, he related the recent announcement by Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the new promotion scheme for teachers which will see some 24,053 teachers being automatically promoted come June 1.        

“We should hold thanksgiving celebrations soon, as in every school there will be at least one who will get promoted.”

Taharuddin added that some of the newly-promoted teachers will see promotion to Grade 54 in the government payscale, which he said is “very good” as they will enjoy many perks like first class flights.

'More than the defence budget'

He also mentioned that out of the federal budget of RM232.6 billion announced last year, the education sector received a large chunk of the expenditures, amounting to RM51.2 billion or 22 percent.

This, he pointed out, is more than even the defence budget of RM13.7 billion.

Taharuddin told the teachers that this special treatment is given to them because they are important, influential and because they have the numbers.

So much so that certain parties, he said, are announcing an increase of RM500 to teachers’ salaries if certain things were to happen, in a reference to one of the promises made by the Pakatan Rakyat should they come to power.

Deflecting claims that the budget allocations were made because it is election time, the Jasa official argued that such goodies are given by the government anyway even if it was not election time.

However, he was careful to add that he was not here to talk about the impending election, but was only here to comment on what others are saying about it.

However, he reminded the teachers that they should be thankful for the goodies they have received both to God, the Education Ministry as well as the leadership of Najib, under whose rule such things took place.

He quoted verses from the holy Quran, though without specifying chapter and verse, to show that as Allah reminded Muslims in the holy book, there are a lot of ungrateful people who are not thankful of what they have received.

Taharuddin also read out another verse, the meaning of which, he claimed, shows that we must be thankful to both God and the men responsible for such things as only this will show true thankfulness.

Being thankful, he said, will also lead to “better things to come”.
    
He also reminded the assembled teachers not to follow in the footsteps of some Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) settlers who were “not thankful to God and the government” for the recent RM15,000 windfall payments.

Taharuddin urged teachers to not just be thankful, but to teach their students to be thankful, too, as they have a responsibility to properly guide their students to ensure that they too do not stray from the proper path.

He was speaking at the Federal Territory level Teacher’s Day celebrations at the CIDB Convention Centre which was opened by Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.

This is not the first time that Jasa officials briefed and gave talks to civil servants and BN component parties. On most occasions these appear to be pro-BN propaganda, which critics say is a misuse of a federal government agency.