ARE CIVIL SERVANTS’ SALARIES LOW?

Madam,

Everyone seems to be singing the same tune about civil servants getting low salaries, yet it is just not realistic to expect everything from government. Demands for higher salaries, while the civil service is bloated are not reasonable.  As unions, the media and other parties always demand more from government, aren’t they trying to divert attention from their own corruption? Government also needs to also focus on investment, infrastructure, health care, education and fight against corruption.

We have seen some tangible improvements in workers’ welfare such as the cost-of-living adjustments (CoLA), better laws, and some new social welfare programmes, among others, but little is said about wasteful spending by employees. Much money is wasted on alcohol, gambling, church entertainment, girlfriends, sex workers, drugs, parties, phones, you name it. It is almost an unforgivable sin to talk about responsible spending.

Why? It is astonishing to see well-paid workers financially stressed due to living beyond their means. Their extravagant spending simply does not reflect their income and their financial challenges are often a result of debts accumulated during this time of high interests and wasteful spending.  Government and the media should also talk about responsibilities of the individual. The fantasy talks and socialist mumbo-jumbo propagated by the media are also to blame for this attitude. Eswatini is a lower middle-income country. How can we afford everything immediately? We need more talk about spending, debt and responsibilities of individuals. Let us stop propagating misguided unhealthy narratives. Civil Servants are not the poorest, but the loudest in the country!

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: