Saturday, September 03, 2005

New Retirement Age - Is it good news?


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850,000 civil servants may have to serve an extra 3-years if the proposal is approved by the Cabinet next month.

This move was made in order to reduce the burgeoning pension bills as the government mulls over the financial implications of a pension bill that has tripled over the last decade. The pension bill had cost the government RM4.96 billion last year, a RM3.36 billion increase over the allocation in 1994. The number of pensioners are now 513,689.

Is this a good news for civil servant? Each one has to mull over it.

For me? My God, Alhamdullilah! Why? But I am not a civil servant? Oh, it doesn't matter. It was my aspiration. It was my hope. I had always been exploring into the civil service system, musing over their level of competencies, and inparticular, the recent change of hands in JKR. There was one man who, by the grace of God, was allowed to helm this giant institution after a long "waiting" and "shadow-politiking" by the oligarch. Finally, in July, the man did arrive; he is none other than, the most highly respected, but often scorned (by politicians and his past head-master) Professor Datuk Dr. Wahid bin Omar who was made the new Director-general of PWD.



Read my earlier posting (August 5, 2005).

I have been praying to the Almighty that something must happen; this new D-G is 54, and will retire in slightly more than one year time. He will not have sufficient time in this position to make the necessary changes, and have it effectively implemented, because the system will take ake him away via the compulsory retirement at 55. One year is far too short to get change effectively implemented. It will not be possible unless his term is extended. But there is no way to extend because we had a bureaucratic system.
My prayer - "May the hands of Allah and His blessings be showered on our new leader of change."

To my delight, the first thing that caught my eyes this morning is the frontpage news in NST - RETIRE AT 58! Now it is going to happen; Alhamdullilah, praise be to God!

I would like to repeat what I had already said in my earlier article:

"This man will USHER in a NEW ERA, an era of RADICAL CHANGE for the better; a change badly needed; the change that should wake up the sleeping gaint of construction industry and cause the industry to tremble. It may be a lesser range tsunami!

Many will celebrate, but some may despair, for this man will not accept mediocrity and officers with desultory character. Those flippant and insouciant, and those with purile mindset, they now have a wake-up call - this man will trumatise you!!!!

The system needs a radical change and only a visionary leader can lead this change. There is none who I believe can do better, and have such behemoth passion in his work. This man is damn honest and straight; that's the reason many had dislike him; sorry not dislike him, but dislike his courage and persistence. He has little patience for lack of competency; he loath cronyism and he doesn't know how to carry balls of the political masters. That's the reason why he can only afford to own a terrace house for the last 30 years or so. He will remain poor till he retires; tho' not poverty per se.

But I believe, he is a man satisfied and contented for what he has and what he has acieved. May God shower him with his wisdom and love, and most of all GOOD HEALTH. May the nation benefit from the service of this man's contribution and that in the next few years, we shall see a dynamic, competent and effective administration of government projects, whereby this one and only institution of construction, this JKR, will lead the nation and pave the way to achieve tangibly, the vision 2020, bringing in the structures and framework of an effective and efficient system administration, fully manned by a new breed of highly competent engineers and scientists, and setting the benchmark for all the other institutions to follow.

Hopefully, a much needed (to be) revamped CIDB will strive to emulate the feat of JKR, if not, at least perish; what we called "Die a Natural Death" so as to relieve all the contractors of the burden to contribute to the cost of the disease administration, and the contributions thus far, are sufficient to pay for the cost of an expensive coffins.

Lets observe and do some measurement; let's greet the arrival of the performance measurement system - now you can measure and track, and we can now use the six-sigma!!!!

2 comments:

multidimid said...

Retiring at 58? It would be a welcome news for those who do not fear and believe that old age is a time of spiritual/or physical deterioration or the beginning of an era in which all the hard worn attributes of maturity vanish and the reasoning faculties vanish.

Old age must be viewed as a highly creative part of living with much wisdom. The mind actually becomes more itself, freer to use more of its abilities, allowed to stray from restricted areas, to assimilate, acknowledge and create.

The chemical and hormonal changes that occur are conducive to spiritual and psychic growth

In many cultures, an individual is not considered in terms of his age at all and the numbering of age is regarded as insignificant. It would do us all good – young, middle age and old alike – to forget the number of your years because so many of the beliefs are limiting in those ways. Youth is denied its wisdom and old age denied its joy.

Actually the point of reality and power is, once more, in our current experience. The old lady at her age is drawing upon qualities and knowledge that “existed” in her past or “will exist” in her future by acting as if the ages are probable (simultaneous).

Our own conclusions and beliefs about age become fact in our experience. If you could convince yourself that you were ten years younger, or ten years older, then it would be faithfully reflected in the environment.

The same pattern can be seen in the elderly and ideas of retirement. For hidden within them is the belief that at one time or another, at a specific age, your powers will begin to fail. These ideas are usually accepted by the young and old alike. In believing them, the young automatically begin the gradual conditioning of their own bodies and minds and the results will be reaped.

So to stay young, discard all the core beliefs about old age.

Maverick SM said...

mutidimid,

I do agree with you that spiritual and psychic growth occurs when the chemical and hormonal changes takes place. But he hormonal change is more of the aspects of debilitating and atrophy.

Self believe and assertion of youthfulness for those of old age can certainly help and and allows an old man to behave young; his actions and behavior similarly will be reflective of the assertion.

But while the spirit is willing, the body can't. Biologically we would be decrepit.Regression is definite, irrespective of our assertation, and we have to accept nature will takes its process.

Somehow, I am coming towards the decade of emasculation tho' I love to exercise your contention of self-motivation.

You had enunciated a great recondite fact. Thanks and hope to read more of your profound knowledge.