By TK Chua

For the first time I am unable to fully comprehend what Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang, is trying to convey when he offered to pay off the loans (minus the interest) of civil servants caught in the clutches of loan sharks.

I think “serving” and appeasing civil servants has reached ridiculous levels in this country. When is this baloney going to end?

By paying off the loans on their behalf, are we not encouraging careless and adventurous living? How would civil servants who take the trouble to live prudently, feel?

Civil servants are not exactly the lowest paid workers in this country, make no mistake about that. In terms of perks and types of loans provided by the government, they enjoy far more privileges than many workers in the private sector.

What message is Lim sending by offering to take over the repayment of loans incurred by civil servants? Even though the intention is good, I do not think there will be lessons learned and behavioural changes nurtured.

Everyone in the country is reeling from the high cost of living, not just civil servants. In fact, with job security and an assured salary each month, civil servants are in a much more enviable position to manage their finances than many small traders and those working for small enterprises in the private sector. Many small traders do not even make a profit sometimes and private sector employees aren’t always paid their salaries on time.

In the final analysis, how else should we manage our personal finances if not by prudence, astuteness and responsibility?

Many moneylenders specifically target civil servants precisely because their salaries are assured every month. At one time, it was cooperatives in collaboration with banks extending personal loans to civil servants indiscriminately. Now it is the turn of loan sharks.

I think Lim’s proposal, if implemented, also requires refinement. It is not realistic to expect loan sharks to accept the repayment minus the interest. It may be more practical to help negotiate a lower interest charge for loans already taken.

Asking loan sharks and other moneylenders not to offer loans to civil servants in the future is at most only a half measure. What we need are responsible civil servants. They must live within their means and not resort to borrowing for the slightest of reasons.

Label me whatever you like, I do not believe in people borrowing to go for holidays, eating in fanciful restaurants or buying fanciful furniture as well as adorning their homes with expensive carpets.

If civil servants cannot do the minimum for themselves, they cannot do much or serve others.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

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