Saturday, October 24, 2009

RPK ON MALAYSIA'S BLOATED CIVIL SERVICE


We have a bloated civil service. More than a million civil servants (including the diplomatic service, security agencies, etc.) against a working population of 10 million people is just too much. That comes to about 13% or so.

Then there is the ‘evaporation rate’, which is again very high. From the Auditor-General’s report every year we know that there is a very high ‘evaporation rate’. So, from the RM200 billion we spend we only get about RM150 billion worth in return. RM50 billion just ‘evaporates’ into thin air.

This is the crux of the whole issue. RM200 billion means nothing if only RM30 billion goes to the people because of the high running cost and evaporation rate.


RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN

23 October 2009

[Cartoon by Antares from THE BUDGET ~ How the Government is Spending OUR Money by Teh Chi-Chang, published by REFSA (Research for Social Advancement)]