Retired Civil Servants are getting restless. "Something is not right in the country. We are slowly steering into the group of troubled countries. We can no longer hold our heads high in the international arena. Domestically at this advanced age we are slowly being put into a life of economic hardship and insecurity"

S Jaafar Aznan Dato Sopian Ahmad: When I joined the civil service during Tunku Abdul Rahman’s time, three things were told to me. First, I would serve at the pleasure of the King. Second, I would earn enough but would not be rich. Third, I was expected to lean left-of -centre, and to put the interest of the rakyat before the elite few.

 
Thus, as many of my generation we were loyal subjects to the King.

 
We asked for only a few things. First, we should not be ridiculed by the political masters, and they should respect the wisdom of our collective experience. Second, when we retire from the civil service we expect to live a decent life. We do not expect to have a luxurious life as those in productive businesses, but the government of the day should ensure that we are not being led to a life of hardship and poverty. Third, we want to live in peace and dignity, and free from policy-misadventures that constitute an insult to our collective wisdom and years of dedicated service to the nation.

 
As a social contract, we (or most of us) will support the government of the day. We will continue to give it the benefit of doubt, unless and until it gets us into a real mess.

 
Today, my observation is that retired civil servants are getting restless. We can feel that something is not right in the country. Many of us who have been witnesses to history around the world will agree that we are slowly steering into the group of troubled countries. We can no longer hold our heads high in the international arena. Domestically, many of us, at this advanced age, are slowly being put into a life of economic hardship and insecurity.

 
The social contract for us retirees must be fulfilled. The policy-misadventures of the government must be addressed quickly. I would urge the government to give some respect to the collective wisdom of the retirees. 

 
As a retired civil servant and a senior citizen I would like to spend my remaining years in peace and with dignity.

Like · Reply · 7 · 18 August 2015 at 16:36 · Edited

 

 

 

Sopian Ahmad Dato Dr Syed Jaafar: While I was serving the Gvt. PakLah Badawi as our Foreign Minister then said to many of us officers in a meeting:  'Do not be the source of embarassment to the Gvt '. But more seriously as I was saying goodbye to my parents to come to KL to report for duty in 1974 my late father said to me:     "Jauhilah perkara yg haram. Jangan sekali kali lupa kepada Allah!!!!!"

Like · Reply · 18 August 2015 at 18:10

 

steadyaku47 comment:

The above comments I "petik" from Sopian Ahmad's FB. S Jaafar Aznan and Sopian Ahmad are senior, distinguished and respected Civil Servants who have served our country well. These are the kind of DATO's that deserves our respects because of what they have done while in government and now, in retirement! Always the country and the welfare of its people comes first.

If you go to their FB there is no mention or inference that either of them are DATO's.....and for this I commend them.

The above "petikan" is what they think our country today!  Not very reassuring!

And Najib Razak are appealing to these retirees to support him! Huh! If only he reads what Sopian Ahmad and S Jaafar Aznan writes!  

Following is a brief CV of both these Dato's.

Dato’ Dr.Syed Jaafar Aznan was the Vice-President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) serving almost thirteen years in Jeddah rendering untiring work voluntarily to the Malaysian community duing his years in Jeddah.

 At the IDB, Dato Dr.Syed Jaafar was very much involved and contributed immensely towards the development of Islamic Finance and Banking especially in the area of Trade Financing and Trade Promotion amongst Islamic countries. He currently sits on the board of EONCAP ISLAMIC BANK BERHAD. He is also Chairman of Perbadanan Kemajuan Ekonomi Islam Negri Perak and a Council  member of Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Melayu Perak. 

 

 

Retired career diplomat, Dato’ Sopian bin Ahmad was Malaysia’s new High Commissioner to New Zealand. He has had postings in the United Kingdom, Iran, Indonesia, Belgium, Thailand. Guinea and Pakistan. Prior to his posting to New Zealand, Dato’ Sopian bin Ahmad was seconded to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah as Assistant Secretary General.