(All for RM800 a month less deductions for EPF and SOCSO)In her weekly column MUSINGS today Marina Mahathir described how, as a friend of hers, a victim of a robbery, “sat in the police station talking to the Chief Inspector, she was astonished at the working conditions of the police, forced to spend time in offices so bleak that no human could be expected to function properly”.
That story reminded me of my own experiences the few times I’ve had to go to police stations to report a crime or an accident. I know that the mata-mata flers aren’t any Malaysian’s favourite characters. But after seeing the kind of conditions they work in I tend to sympathize with them la. Hot and stuffy offices. Rickety furniture. Poor to non-existent equipment to type reports, photocopy documents or even to draw a straight line across a piece of paper. Computers ah? Yes some balai do have them. Does anybody remember those 286 machines? Hahahahaha…sorry.
These days I tend to be more tolerant of our policemen’s perceived inefficiencies la. Even to the point sometimes of wanting to shove some money into their pockets and tell them, “This is not a bribe la, brudder. It’s a contribution to your well being. Take the money la but give me the summons anyway.” You know what I mean?
Policemen are human too right? So they need some motivation to perform their duties which can be dangerous and sometimes life threatening to them. So tell me what kind of motivation you’d get if you don’t earn enough each month to feed your family or to buy a second hand Kancil.
And tell me la how you’d feel when you read that your country is spending BILLIONS buying submarines and MILLIONS sending some clown on a tour of outer space. And your big boss, the minister of home affairs announces a multi billion Ringgit budget for everything except giving you a realistic living wage.
Yeah man you’d be tempted to chuck off your rusty Smith & Wesson and shout…….
NIAMAH!!!
14 comments:
You know, if I am born in the states, I don't mind being a service-men. Imagine being in the marines, damn cool
But in bolehland? I guess the boss is just not interested in making this country safe. So what happened to those policemen flers? They just go with the flow lor...
totally agreed with you bro patrick. $$$ and incentives drives behaviour and motivations, pay peanuts u get a monkey job.....thats life man.
I must say I am lucky to work in a MNC where they daggle carrots in front of you to drive motivation in achieving results and positive behaviour.
In BolehLand, the top guys up there couldnt care less abt the forces. Call this SEMANGAT!!!!!
totally agreed with u bro patrick. $$$ and incentives drives behaviour. If u pay peanuts, you get a monkey job....thats life man.
i must say i am lucky to work in a MNC that daggle carrots to drive motivation in achieving results and positive bahaviour.
in BolehLand, the top guys up there cud not care less, only worried abt their well being. call this SEMANGAT!!!!!
Pat: I am not at all surprised. I too have been to the police stations so many times to report this or that. They take down statements and out of a thousand case...if you are lucky 10 will be solved only......but if it involves very important people....10 out of 10 are solved!!
Yes their buidlings are equipped with low class old wooden furnitures{ seems like been using same stuffs for 50 years??] and crammpy....not much space or a place to work with pride.
The old IGP came to my office to buy a drink machine and requested easy installments. I said NAIMAH..your government so rich and want a poor guy like me to give installments? He said he is buying from his on money for his staffs. I immediately said okay and feel sorry to be a Malaysian and proud of him.
I NEVER like to bribe traffic police. When I get caught....I asked them to write the summon fast ...as my father or mother is dying in the hospital....or my wife is delivering a child. They usualy let me go. Once awhile I am sacastic to them and have to pay RM300 fine. By the way....my parents are long gone dead and I did ask their forgiveness to use this stunt on traffic police.
In my younger days....a lawyer taught me to buy a book on traffic laws and put in my car.
Sure enough...I was caught driving without stopping a lane meant for bombas....ambulance etc. I took out the book and ask the policeman under which law.....he said 'go lah.....don't cost trouble!
I was cheeky and replied...."oh you don' know law and want to catch me?'He said if I talk too much...he will arrest me.....so I chaput!! Thanks.
Trouble is, most people in Msia don't see the police as fellow human beings, but rather as a tool of the government to keep the people in check.
Zewt's right. In the US become serviceman, get holidays, get cheers, get public admiration. Go bars also can get girls. In Malaysia become serviceman get crap. No wonder the flers ask for bribes la. Have to make life worthwhile what.
Interestingly, I have seen some relatives get out of summons by telling the policeman they were government servants (teachers in this case). They seemed to become very sympathetic after that.
I guess it's happening all across the board in govt service.
yup... totally agree! i wrote about this a few months ago with suggestion on how we can improve this... :)
http://adriantai.blogspot.com/2006/10/underpaid-heroes.html
not easy to survive when a 2 piece KFC meal costs rm5.30...
also, some prisoners actually earn more than the average policemen. actually, money spent on prisoners should be better spent on our underpaid heroes...
http://adriantai.blogspot.com/2006/10/malaysian-prison.html
Who can blame the poor flers.......Family of 5 living on RM800 in KL...How la...Even if you are single also not enough...
But it is saddening that BILLIONS are spent on some useless BOLEHLAND promotion and not on improving the public service...
yup... the policemen can be 'selective'. they have a heart as well la... if they know u can't afford it, they just warn you.
i used to work in a place where we all had uniforms... was told by colleague then that uniforms = low pay. so policemen can be quite nice and sympathetic compared to if you wear suit + tie. :)
The same reason I keep my jalopy in the sad condition that it is, so they'll likely to think you're wasting their time by stopping you.
adriantai, policemen will be more synpathetic if you wear a suit and tie??? Which planet you talking about?
economist, did you read the response in the Star from the IGP to Marina Mahathir's Musings column? Somebody get him a good spin doctor please.
u guys sleeping with rip van wrinkle arr? what do u mean 'sympathize their working conditions'??? i see them with all these new pcs with lcd screens.
i was at the maluri, cheras station just last week. in a space of just about 500sq ft, there's 4 2.5hp a/cond blasting away. freezing like antartic there. 2 television screens with astro facing them rather than us. wtf. r they working or not arr?.
there's more out there. pls survey 1st before toking kok kok.
i'm normally quite a well mannered lady. but the name of this blog made me assume this is a 'no holds barred' zone & brought out the beast in me.
pat- i remember some response fr the IGP but cant remmebr exactly...actually most of the govt servants even politicians need a good PR guru...they cant help but making a fool out of themselves...wonders how they even rose to the top in the 1st place
pat, i meant they would be more sympathetic if you dun wear suit + tie.
:)
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