Enforcement ‘allowance’ for enforcement officers?

We cannot selectively introduce allowances or special payments based on fanciful ideas mooted by the Deputy Prime Minister.

COMMENT

By T K Chua

I refer to the suggestion by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to pay RM200 “enforcement allowance” per month to each of the 12,685 immigration officers throughout the country if revenue collected by the Immigration Department continues to improve.

I do not know the real motive for this proposal, but I can guess. It could be that Zahid was thinking the additional allowance would not pose an extra burden to the government. After all, the department is generating RM3.9 billion in revenue this year and the amount is likely to increase to RM4.2 billion next year. In other words, the department is earning its keep.

I think this is where the danger lies. The argument here is to “pamper” the staff of revenue generating departments a little more than others. If this argument is valid, then the Inland Revenue Board, the Royal Customs Department and the Land Offices throughout the country deserve even more since the amount they collect each year is probably far greater than the Immigration Department.

It is ridiculous when we have to pay enforcement allowance to enforcement officers. I remember many years back, MAS had “sweeping allowance” for sweepers. Hence it would appear that the more transformation and changes we talk about, the more we stay the same.

May I urge our DPM (and also any minister concerned), to be a little more circumspect when making proposals of any kind, especially when they involve government finance? We must look at the role of the government as a cohesive unit. The function of some government departments is to collect revenue while for others it is to incur expenses. Therefore, it does not mean some are more deserving than others. How would officers from the Prison, Education, Orang Asli and Welfare Departments feel if officers from Immigration, Police, Inland Revenue Board and Land Offices were paid special allowances while they have none?

Government employees are paid salaries to carry out their respective functions. We can’t selectively introduce allowances or special payments based on fanciful ideas. Where would it end if we are going to pay enforcement allowance to enforcement officers? In no time the police will be asking for policing allowance, teachers for teaching allowance, and prison officers for going “in and out of prison” allowance.

T K Chua is an FMT reader.