Hutang PTPTN: 10,000 pegawai kerajaan ingkar

Oleh Abdul Halim Yusoff dan Hanneeyzah Bariah Baharin

JPN, LHDN beri senarai

KUALA LUMPUR: Kira-kira 10,000 pegawai pelbagai jabatan dan syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) dikesan belum membayar balik pinjaman Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) kerana beranggapan mereka boleh mengelak dikenakan tindakan.

Senarai nama peminjam ingkar itu diperoleh PTPTN hasil maklumat Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN), Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) dan majikan masing-masing.

Timbalan Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Ong Tee Keat (gambar), berkata sehingga 15 April lalu 40,573 peminjam PTPTN didapati sudah mendapat pekerjaan di pelbagai jabatan kerajaan dan GLC.

Daripada jumlah itu, 30,027 sudah membuat pembayaran dan 359 peminjam diberi pengecualian kerana memperoleh Ijazah Kelas Pertama yang melayakkan pinjaman itu ditukarkan kepada biasiswa.

Ong menegaskan peminjam ingkar akan dikenakan tindakan keras kerana mereka sudah diberi masa yang cukup untuk berhubung dengan PTPTN dan membuat pembayaran balik pinjaman.

“Penahanan pasport adalah tindakan terakhir yang akan diambil selepas tiga kali surat peringatan, surat tuntutan bayaran balik, tindakan mahkamah dan disenarai hitam.

“Tindakan ini perlu kerana jumlah kutipan tabung itu masih tidak begitu baik,” katanya pada sidang media di lobi Parlimen, semalam.

Mengenai pengeluaran visa e-pelajar kepada warga asing, Ong berkata, kerajaan akan menubuhkan panel penilai khas membabitkan pegawai Kementerian Keselamatan Dalam Negeri, Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, Imigresen dan polis.

Penubuhan panel itu bagi memastikan pelajar asing tidak mencari kerja, menghilangkan diri atau mempunyai kelayakan akademik yang sepatutnya untuk melanjutkan pelajaran di institusi pengajian tinggi tempatan.

"Menerusi sistem manual sebelum ini, 212 IPTS boleh mengambil pelajar asing yang memohon terus visa di Jabatan Imigresen tetapi ini menyebabkan kemasukan pelajar yang tidak mempunyai kelayakan akademik yang diperlukan.

“Lebih memburukkan apabila mereka yang tidak layak ini menyalahgunakan visa dengan bekerja di Malaysia,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, panel penilai e-pelajar itu akan bermesyuarat setiap minggu bagi menimbang permohonan visa pelajar asing untuk mengelakkan kelewatan proses pengeluaran dokumen perjalanan itu.

Treating government servants fairly

The Sun

In the eyes of many, especially if a person is not a civil servant or a dependent of one, the civil servants don't deserve a pay increase because the overall productivity of the civil service is generally felt to be low.

But to deny periodic pay adjustments to civil servants - the last major revision is said to have been in 1992 - is to be unfair to the hundreds of thousands of them out of some 1.2 million who actually do their jobs well and shoulder their responsibilities.

Examples would include the overworked doctor who gets a fraction the salary of his private sector counterpart, and the hardworking teacher who works much more than just half a day with all the extra-curricular activity, marking of exercise books, etc.

There are two separate issues that are involved. The first is whether government servants are actually paid too little and whether they deserve a substantial pay rise for the work that they are supposed to be doing.

The other is whether government servants are actually doing the work that they have been tasked with doing and whether they are being under-worked and not performing up to expectations.

The problem is, when there is an assessment of whether government salaries are to be adjusted upwards the two issues are confused and therefore fused together as if they are one. It is important to realise that they are not.

If some government workers are shirking and not doing their work according to procedure and expectations, then the government must do something to sort that out.

One way would be to penalise bad performance and reward good performance instead of giving everyone the same benefits.

The pay and benefits must be differentiated according to performance so that better workers can be better rewarded and those who can't perform either rehabilitated or fired. Then everybody pulls their weight and productivity improves.

But salary adjustments must continue periodically even as the government sorts out its rewards methodology.

Otherwise, government workers are going to be underpaid and many of them will continue to need two jobs just to survive.

Government servants need a hefty pay rise to improve living standards and to attract new talent into the service while the government needs to tighten up to reward good workers and penalise bad ones. Both things need to be done simultaneously.

If they are, then both the public and the civil servants would be given a fair shake.

Merapatkan jurang perbezaan gaji

Rencana Pengarang

Utusan Online

PENGUMUMAN awal Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi akan persetujuan kerajaan untuk menaikkan gaji kakitangan awam adalah ‘berita gembira’ yang dinanti-nantikan selama ini terutama golongan berpendapatan rendah.

Biarpun maklumat terperinci mengenai semakan gaji itu yang kali terakhir dilakukan pada 1992 hanya diumumkan pada 21 Mei ini, tetapi ia sudah cukup bermakna dan melegakan kira-kira 1.2 juta kakitangan awam terbabit.

Ternyata, luahan kira-kira 850,000 kakitangan kumpulan sokongan I dan II (bukan pegawai) agar kerajaan menyemak semula gaji mereka dalam mengharungi kos kehidupan yang semakin tinggi, telah mendapat perhatian kerajaan – sekali gus membuktikan keprihatinannya dalam membela nasib rakyat jelata.

Perdana Menteri bagaimanapun menjelaskan bahawa kerajaan menggunakan formula yang mengambil kira jurang pendapatan antara kakitangan kumpulan rendah dan pegawai tinggi dalam mengkaji semakan gaji itu.

Dengan kos harga rumah, barangan keperluan dan persekolahan anak-anak serta petrol yang semakin meningkat, semakan gaji baru ini akan sedikit sebanyak dapat meringankan beban yang dipikul selama ini.

Tambahan pula gaji pokok bagi kumpulan pekerja rendah dalam sektor awam seperti jawatan pembantu am pejabat, atendan kesihatan dan pemandu hanyalah sebanyak RM485 sebulan.

Justeru, keputusan kerajaan untuk menyemak semula skim gaji itu selepas disuarakan oleh Kongres Kesatuan Pekerja-Pekerja Di Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam (CUEPACS) membuktikan kepekaan kerajaan dalam meningkatkan taraf hidup para pekerja terutama kumpulan rendah di pelbagai agensi sedia ada.

Persoalannya, dengan mengambil kira formula untuk merapatkan jurang pendapatan antara kumpulan rendah dan pegawai kerajaan, adakah ini akan memungkinkan gaji kakitangan rendah dinaikkan hingga 40 peratus?

Bagi pegawai tinggi kerajaan pula, kenaikan minimum 10 peratus sekalipun sebenarnya satu pertambahan yang agak besar kerana rata-rata mereka mempunyai pendapatan tinggi kerana diberikan pelbagai elaun lain.

Diharapkan, pegawai tinggi kerajaan tidak berasa kecil hati terhadap semakan gaji yang akan diumumkan nanti walaupun memperoleh peratusan yang sedikit.

Apa yang diharapkan, kenaikan gaji itu nanti tidaklah dianggap sebagai ‘satu kemenangan’ perjuangan kesatuan sekerja terhadap kerajaan tetapi mereka perlu menanam tekad dan azam untuk memberi perkhidmatan terbaik kepada orang ramai.

Semangat, iltizam dan kegigihan yang ditunjukkan pekerja awam sebenarnya memberi gambaran positif terhadap kerajaan di mata masyarakat Malaysia dan rakyat asing dalam menyediakan perkhidmatan cemerlang lagi terbilang.

Seperkara yang penting, janganlah kenaikan gaji kakitangan awam turut mendorong kepada kenaikan harga barangan keperluan dan akhirnya dilihat seperti ‘walhasil balik asal’ – pekerja kumpulan rendah terus menanggung beban kehidupan.

Harap kenaikan gaji ikut cadangan CUEPACS

KUALA LUMPUR 8 Mei – Kesatuan sekerja yang menyambut baik pengesahan kenaikan gaji kakitangan awam yang diumumkan Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi semalam, berharap ia mengikut cadangan yang dikemukakan CUEPACS.

CUEPACS dalam memorandumnya kepada Perdana Menteri Januari lalu meminta kenaikan gaji 10 hingga 40 peratus bagi 1.2 juta kakitangan awam mengikut kumpulan gred.

Presiden CUEPACS Omar Osman berharap kerajaan akan memanggil kongres itu untuk berbincang jika terdapat pindaan yang ketara sebelum pengumuman dibuat yang dijangkakannya dalam bulan ini juga.

“CUEPACS berharap semakan kenaikan gaji 40 peratus untuk Kumpulan Sokongan II (Gred 1-16) dapat dikekalkan kerana jika ia dikurangkan hasrat kerajaan untuk merapatkan jurang besar perbezaaan gaji tidak tercapai,” katanya dalam reaksi beliau terhadap pengesahan Abdullah itu hari ini.

Beliau menegaskan sekali lagi bahawa CUEPACS terpaksa menolak jika permintaan kenaikan itu diturunkan kerajaan hingga ke garis minimum.

Perdana Menteri semalam berkata, gaji kakitangan awam akan dinaikkan tetapi peratusannya berbeza antara pegawai kanan dengan kakitangan rendah bagi memastikan jurang perbezaannya tidak begitu ketara.

Presiden Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC) Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud turut berharap pengumuman yang bakal dibuat benar-benar mencerminkan kenaikan yang boleh dibanggakan.

“Jika kerajaan memenuhi kenaikan sebanyak antara 10 hingga 40 peratus oleh CUEPACS, ini bukan sahaja menggembirakan kakitangan awam tetapi juga ahli keluarga mereka kerana ia memberi kesan yang baik,” katanya.

Signifikan

Beliau berharap kenaikan itu akan menjadi signifikan kepada kakitangan awam iaitu dapat membantu mereka menghadapi kos hidup yang semakin meningkat.

“Kita harap kenaikan itu dapat mengatasi perubahan hidup bagi pekerja yang berpendapatan rendah dan ada lebihan untuk mereka menabung untuk hari tua di samping menampung perbelanjaan kecemasan seperti perubatan,” katanya.

Setiausaha Agung Kesatuan Kebangsaan Pekerja-pekerja Jabatan Kerja Raya dan Air, Muslim Ismail yang menyambut baik perhatian yang diberikan Perdana Menteri itu berharap formula kenaikan gaji bagi kakitangan kumpulan rendah akan memuaskan hati mereka.

“Kami berharap jurang perbezaan dengan kumpulan pegawai tinggi tidak jauh sangat,” katanya.

Setiausaha Agung Kesatuan Pekerja-pekerja Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) A. Munian turut mengalu-alukan khabar gembira daripada Perdana Menteri sendiri.

Beliau berkata, kakitangan rendah DBKL selama ini dibebani kos hidup yang tinggi sehingga ada antara mereka bekerja sambilan sebagai pemandu teksi dan pengawal keselamatan.

“Kami cuma berharap kenaikan itu berpatutan dan jangan terlalu rendah daripada tuntutan 40 peratus. Selain itu kami juga berharap kenaikan gaji ini akan meningkatkan produktiviti pekerja,” katanya.

– Bernama

Cabinet briefing on pay rise ‘in next few weeks’

NST

PUTRAJAYA: The cabinet is expected to be briefed about the salary hike for civil servants within the next few weeks.

Among others, members of the cabinet are expected to discuss the quantum of increase based on recommendations made by the Public Service Department (PSD).

"The proposal will have to go through the normal procedures. A cabinet paper is being prepared to enable the ministers to discuss the matter before it is endorsed," said a source.

The source said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was likely to make an announcement on the matter soon.

Abdullah had announced on Monday that the time had come for a salary revision for the country’s 1.2 million civil servants.
The prime minister had said that civil servants in both the support and management categories deserved a pay rise.

Earlier this year, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service (Cuepacs) had proposed a pay increment of between 10 and 40 per cent.

The congress had proposed a rise of 40 per cent for support group II (Grades 1 to 16), which made up the lowest category of public employees, and an increase of 30 per cent for support group I (Grades 17 to 26 and Grades 27 to 40).

For the management and professional group (Grades 41 to 54), Cuepacs had proposed an increase of 20 per cent and for those in the premier grade, it had proposed a salary rise of 10 per cent.

Civil servants now have guidebook on integrity

NST

PUTRAJAYA: One of the pillars of the prime minister’s ideology has been to bring more integrity into the public service.

Yesterday, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched a book to guide the civil service as it moves towards more transparency and accountability.

National Integrity System: A Guiding Framework examines the role of a country’s "integrity pillars" like the executive, parliament, judiciary, auditor-general, public and private sectors, the mass media, enforcement agencies and civil society.

The book also discusses the implementation of integrity practices in the public service, such as monitoring public officials, managing conflicts of interest, promoting transparency, access to official information and protection of whistle-blowers.

Co-produced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM), the book compares integrity and accountability systems in Malaysia with examples from other countries and provides checklists on steps to enhance integrity in various sectors.
"This book shows our seriousness about integrity. The guidelines can be used by all parties so we are in step with each other. It should be read, understood and implemented because it fulfils the government’s desire to improve integrity in the civil service," Abdullah said at the book launch.

In October 2005, UNDP and IIM commissioned the former managing director of Transparency International, Jeremy Pope, to lead the project team in preparing the book. The team included members of UNDP and IIM.

Its aim was to provide a framework to implement the National Integrity Plan.

Abdullah also launched Corporate Social Responsibility: Our First Look, a compilation by the IIM of articles by academicians and industry professionals.

Also present at the launch were Chief Secretary to the Government and IIM president Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan and Dr Richard Leete, UNDP resident representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Earlier in the day, Abdullah chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Management Integrity. Several ministers, members of IIM and heads of government departments and agencies attended.

They discussed ways to improve accountability and integrity practices in the government administration.

The discussion touched on disciplinary action, combating corruption and other management processes.

A pay rise must result in a better delivery system

NEWS of a pay rise for the 1.2 million civil servants in the country comes as no surprise as this has been in the air for quite some time.

I agree in principle that there should be a pay increase for government servants, particularly for the low-income earners considering the fact that it has been a long time since a pay rise was given to them.

A hike is also justified in view of the rising cost of living.

While we support a pay rise for civil servants, what is also of primary concern to the public is whether a pay increase will lead to a more efficient delivery system.

It cannot be denied that there is a lot of room for improvement.

I believe that any pay rise for our civil servants should result in enhancing the delivery system, improving the work culture and more productivity.

My suggestion to the civil servants is to walk the extra mile and strive towards achieving excellence in serving the nation, especially in ensuring a maintenance culture that is sorely lacking.

The time has come for all departments, agencies and public authorities to strive for zero complaints in an effort to upgrade efficiency and promote excellence in tandem with the wishes of the people.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE,
Kuala Lumpur.

Unions laud pay rise announcement

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Employees unions have reacted positively to the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of an imminent salary increase for civil servants but said they hoped that the Government would stick to the Cuepacs’ recommendations on the quantum of increase.

Cuepacs had proposed in a memorandum handed over to the Government on Jan 11 that the Government make a salary revision of between 10% and 40% according to grade, with 40% for the lowest category of employees or Support Group II, 30% for Support Group I, 20% for the Management and Professional Group and 10% for the Premier Grade (Jusa).

Cuepacs president Omar Osman, who said he was convinced the Government would announce the salary increase this month, said he hoped that the Government, before making the announcement, would call it for discussions should drastic changes be made to its proposal.

Abdullah had said on Monday that the Government would raise the salaries of its estimated 1.2 million civil servants and that the disparity in the salaries of high and low-ranking employees would be taken into account in determining the pay increase formula.

The Cuepacs’ memorandum had demanded that the disparity in the salaries between the two groups of employees should not be too drastic, Omar said.

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud said the MTUC welcomed the Prime Minister’s statement.

“We hope the coming announcement will reflect a salary increase that we can be proud of. If the Government fulfils the salary increase of between 10% and 40% sought by Cuepacs, it would have a positive impact not only on civil servants but also on their families,” he said.

“We hope the salary rise will help the low-income workers adjust to the cost of living and enable them invest for the future and meet emergency expenses such as medical fees,” he said.

National Union of Public Works and Water Works Employees secretary-general Muslim Ismail, in welcoming the Prime Minister’s announcement, said he hoped that the pay increase formula for the low-income group would be to their satisfaction. – Bernama

PSD nod for 533 new posts

By NG CHENG YEE

chengyee@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The Public Service Department (PSD) has approved 533 new posts for the coordination work of one-stop centres (OSCs) for fast-track approval of housing projects.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said the approval had been made by PSD early this month for the ministry to recruit town planners, technical assistants and supporting staff for the new centres.

He said the recruitment would be made based on the needs of local authorities.

There are 94 local authorities in the peninsula which will be setting up the OSCs and there will be a grace period of two months for those involved to prepare themselves before the operation of the OSCs starts in June.

“The ministry will also send over 40 town planners to some strategic local authorities where there is a lot of development going on,” he said at the 16th South-East Asian Geotechnical Conference 2007 here yesterday.

On April 13, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced comprehensive changes to the property development sector, as part of his move to improve the public delivery system.

Among the initiatives announced were the setting-up of one-stop centres in every state for fast-track approvals for housing projects, replacing the Certificate of Fitness for Occupancy (CFO) with the Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) and giving incentives to developers who adopt the Build-Then-Sell (BTS) concept.

Earlier in his speech, Ong said the setting up of the OSC required cooperation from all stakeholders including engineers to assume full responsibility for the tasks they are entrusted with.

Promotion, pay rise for school heads

By KAREN CHAPMAN and FARIDAH BEGUM

The Star

PUTRAJAYA: The 7,000 primary school heads nationwide will stand a chance to be promoted and enjoy a pay rise under a new scheme without needing to leave their current schools.

This move, said Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, would ensure that good school heads remained in their schools and continued to administer and improve them.

“Although this new scheme has only been approved in principle, its implementation is being finalised,” he said after meeting representatives of the 24 bodies representing the teaching profession in his office here yesterday.

Hishammuddin said the exact number that would benefit from the scheme had yet to be established, but it would see many school heads recognised for their contributions and tireless efforts.

The minister also announced a location and hardship allowance, ranging from RM500 to RM1,500 for teachers serving in rural areas and the interior.

“The allowance will be classified under three categories, taking into account the mode of transport, travel risks, water and electricity resources, accommodation, sanitation, telecommunication, health services and other facilities,” he said.

According to the ministry’s statistics, 15,499 teachers and 3,797 support staff will benefit from the new allowance, to be paid from May 1 and expected to cost the Government more than RM187mil annually.

The allowance is an extension of the rural incentive payment, implemented in 1991, which is about 10% of the basic salary.

In a case where both husband and wife are serving in rural areas, only one will receive the new allowance while the other will continue to receive the incentive payment.

Hishammuddin said the ministry would also introduce the balik kampung allowance to rural teachers and support staff from this month.

“This means they will receive allowances once a year to cover travel and accommodation expenses when they return to their hometown,” he said.

Only those who have served more than six months in the rural areas are eligible for this allowance, expected to benefit close to 100,000 teachers and support staff.

Later, Hishammuddin said the ministry wanted a report from the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) on what was hindering teachers from sitting for the Assessment of Efficiency Level (PTK) test for promotions.

The ministry, he said, would then decide on what action to be taken.

“If we can solve it at the ministry level then we don’t have to refer it to the Public Service Department,” he said after launching the Campaign 4 Rewards 2007 contest at Pizza Hut in Kota Damansara.

He was commenting on a report in Malay daily yesterday which quoted NUTP president Anuar Ibrahim as saying that 70,000 non-graduate teachers who had served at least 20 years did not want to sit for the PTK as they were not confident of passing it.