KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — It is morally wrong to ask for bonuses while the country is still struggling to sail out of the economic downturn and people in the private sector are being retrenched, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.
“It’s morally wrong to ask for bonus when the economy has not recovered. I keep telling Cuepacs (president Omar Osman) that it cannot be just like a trade union, shout for bonus every time (there is budget) because you want to (remain) popular among your members,” he said.
Cuepacs, the umbrella body for public sector unions, is pushing the government for a two-month bonus for the 1.2 million civil servants in the country.
“In the private sector, the people are getting retrenched and it doesn’t happen in the government service. “
However, that did not mean excellent workers cannot be rewarded, though such a system was not in place.
“If you have a system that motivates them, even the civil servants can rise and become high-performance workers. We should reward these entire people. We should not settle for the second best, push them high.
“Of course, some sort of small help should be provided,” he said, adding that “it’s like a golf game, a bit of handicap, but over time they should reduce it, from 24 to 18, 12 and then single and compete at par with the others.
“It’s similar with the Bumiputeras as well; over time they should reduce their handicap. You can’t be at 24 all the time. I dream of the day when Bumiputeras are able to compete with no handicap whatsoever. The day will come. So, slowly we are reducing it.
“The non-Bumiputeras feel the current system is not fair but I am making it fairer. Every Malaysian will get a fair place under the Malaysian sun,” said Najib, who is also finance minister, when speaking at the Bankers’ Club Business Luncheon Forum.
The government had previously announced two stimulus packages, worth RM67 billion, to help cushion the impact of the global economic downturn.
Malaysia’s economy is expected to shrink three per cent this year, lower than the earlier forecast of four to five per cent contraction.
The country’s gross domestic product is expected to expand at three per cent next year.
The government has taken measures to reduce federal spending deficit next year to 5.6 per cent, vis-a-vis 7.4 per cent this year. — Bernama
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