Sarawak: Government Servants Of The People Or People Servants Of The Government?

From Sarawak Talk:

A day in the life of an investor in Kuching

Posted by ENDING, SAYING GOODBYE SARAWAK, MALAYSIA FOREVER on October 27, 2009 at 15:03:54:

Temporarily working for a would be large foreign investor in Sarawak.

Work for the same company in Indonesia.

The company had a pilot team to feel the investment atmosphere here. They been here 2 months and my job is to show them the truth about local conditions. They have signed a MOU with the government but finality only after 6 months.

First thing is the visit to TM office for telephone lines and internet lines. The foreigner was aghast at the chaos at the waiting area. He was even more astonished when I told him that TM do not care how big or busy a boss you are, you must come here and sign the contract yourself, and also wait in line for 1 to 2 hours. He had a good laugh.

Next we went to the Immigration Department to extend his visa. At the entrance we were told our car must be parked at a public carpark far away and the near car park is for staff. He said, in our place staff park at the far car park and all customers park at the near car park otherwise the boss there will get sacked. Continuing he said, "public serve the boss or the boss serve the public?" he laughed.

Then we entered the building, he could not find where he needed to go to because all (the signs) were in Bahasa. (Melayu). So I pointed to the place where he needed to go. Again he laughed saying, "your Immigration expects us foreigners to study Bahasa (Melayu) in your country? Visas are for foreigners and yet no English or Chinese language signs!"

We went into the Immigration room, 20 people, all foreigners are waiting, so we asked the receptionist. She said we had to wait. So my foreign friend asked her, "for how long?". She screamed at him, "WAIT LAH!" and walked away. My foreign friend saw 4 to 5 people laughing and chatting in another room. He went in to ask and was rudely told to get out and wait outside. 15 minutes later that woman came out and looked at the pile of forms.

My friend said he also needed a form to fill maybe. She gave him one. It was all in Bahasa (Melayu), so he asked her to help him to fill. She scolded him and asked him to look for a runner to help him. Immediately someone approached him to help for a fee.

Promptly he refused and asked to leave.

He was not angry, just amused. Then he asked me to bring him to MIDA at Bank Negara. There the people know him and try to carry his balls knowing him to be a big guy from a big company. The MIDA boss personally came out to ask him to go into his office and try to sell him Sarawak, Malaysia. He laughed and laughed and did not answer much.

Then we went back to the hotel, had a bath and he said he wanted to buy me the best dinner in Kuching. We went to the Hilton bistro.

Finally, after dinner he told me, "I thank you a lot for telling me to go down to the ground and see for myself the atmosphere of the situation in Sarawak. On one hand your government begged us to come in, on the other hand your other ministries do not care about the investing people or rather any people. The people serve the government in this country and all its servants and not the government and its servants serving the people. So investors like us come in, then we become like Sarawakians serving the government and its servants. In the end it is the people and the investors paying for the government and its servants. So if we come in, we are paying billions to be slaves of your government and its servants. Yes, the businessmen Sarawakians are very helpful and diligent and hoping that we will invest here so that they have some business and jobs to do. But the government and its servants not only want to get paid by the people but also want to be their Boss, God and their Lord. So tell me a good reason why I want to bring my money and my people to come here and be slaves?"

He laughed and laughed and laughed.

Adding he said, "why invite foreigners to your country when you make sure they do not understand anything, from forms and making them to walk so far to see the authority while your office boy can park his car in front of the authority's office? If you cannot serve your own public with ease and convenience to them, it means your servants do not know their priority, it means the civil servants top to bottom do not understand their jobs and priority, so tell me what am I doing here?"

With this he ended his company's mission to invest in Sarawak and paid me 25k for the simple reason of opening his eyes, ears and feeling to the reality in Sarawak (and) Malaysia for investment.

So, why does anybody in Sarawak believe that the government can turn Sarawak into a higher income state from the poverty we are in? It is not my duty to con anybody for my state and country. I show the foreigners the truth. The government must change, address the bullshit in the civil service and the negative image that civil servants are king and the people paying their salaries are slaves.

Sarawak just lost a big investor.....ending they have their laugh!