Still no salaries for appointees

PETALING JAYA: A large number of political appointees, such as political secretaries, press secretaries, special functions officers and special officers, have yet to be paid their salary which has been delayed for more than two months.
A source said this was due to the growing differences between the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government and some members of the civil service, resulting in the delay of issuing letters of appointment from the Public Services Department (PSD) to the political appointees.
The source said all their letters of appointment had been signed not only by the minister concerned but also by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and it remains a mystery as to why it was taking the PSD so long to issue the letters.
The source added that due to the generosity of some ministers, some political appointees have been able to make ends meet but others are in a very difficult situation.
"This also leaves them at the mercy of some ministers who have either removed or sacked up to four of the officers they had appointed, with the last officer being sacked on Tuesday," the source said.
The source said the failure to get the letters is causing all kinds of hardship for the officers concerned as they are not protected by law and nor do they have any insurance protection.
"One of those sacked had resigned from a well-paying job to join a minister but he was sacked on the spot on Tuesday after just two weeks of employment for allegedly making a minor mistake.
"This has put the person in limbo, leaving him in a quandary as to how he is going to look after his family while trying to find a new job," the source said.
The source added that the merciless action of some ministers has resulted in a number of their staff questioning whether they had made the right decision to resign from their jobs.
"Another minister has already gone through two press secretaries and this is only less than three months into the job. Who would join such a minister?" the source said.
The source said these ministers need to realise that those joining them are leaving well-paying jobs to join the PH administration because they believe in the change being promoted by PH.
theSun had previously reported that senior civil servants – mainly those who had strong links with the previous administration – were involved in a sabotage plot.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa in response to theSun said he had instructed all secretaries-general and heads of departments to investigate any possible sabotage attempts aimed at derailing the current administration.
The source said despite this, many political appointees remain at the mercy of some senior civil servants as they do not have proper appointment letters from the PSD.
The source said the time has come for Ali to stop issuing instructions but instead go to the ground to get to the bottom of what is happening within the civil service.
The source added that immediate action should be taken against those responsible, so all the others will know that they are now working for a PH government and not their old master, Barisan Nasional.