Perak govt drivers say allowances unchanged for 36 yrs

The Star

IPOH: The allowances for state government official drivers in Perak have apparently remained unchanged for decades.

According to Perak State Government Motorised Vehicles Drivers' Union president Abdullah Sani Asmoni, the various allowances they were eligible for had not been reviewed for the last 36 years.

"We hope Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin will look into our plight.

"Besides that, we also want to be included in state functions and social events such as visits, study tours, family days and training," he said during the union's 2nd Biennial General Meeting on Saturday.

He added that the union, which had about 220 members, would be submitting an official memorandum to the state government after this.

It had also recently sent a memorandum to the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) on various issues affecting them including salaries, promotions and allowances, Abdullah Sani said.

"This is not only for us in Perak but all other drivers throughout the country," he said.

Promising to look into the matter, Nizar said the state government was aware of certain civil servants in the state being sidelined and was working towards rectifying it.

"I know of good workers who are not confirmed in their employment. Their contracts are merely renewed on a year-to-year basis.

"Then, there are those who deserve to get achievement or excellence awards but do not. Instead, these awards go to those who do not deserve them," he said.

On another matter, Nizar stressed that letters sent out to Kemas preschools were only to have them to hand over keys to the premises and not to deny them from using the place.

As for Sungai Rapat Barisan Nasional assemblyman Hamidah Osman's demand for letters from the state government as a guarantee that the preschools could continue using the premises, he said:

"It is not necessary because there was no directive to stop them in the first place. That should be understood from an intellectual and administrative standpoint."

Nizar said the entire Kemas pre-school fiasco had been a campaign aimed at smearing the name of the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government.

"The people know it's not true, let the people evaluate for themselves," he said.