Professionalism?

Only RM 220,000 huh? That's beside the point. The taxpayers' money is and always will be for actual services rendered. Just ask anyone on the street if it's about the 'only RM 220,000' used for the farewell party. It's public money, not private.

I used to work for a large private firm, and we throw farewell parties by passing a hat around, senior managers chipping in more, junior staff less. Why? Because the company's money belongs to the shareholders. Unless of course, it's for one of the inspirational leaders in our company, then I figure it is justifiable.

And this whole morale thing just makes me laugh :

Meanwhile, Customs deputy director-general (preventive) Datuk Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid said this recent development had affected the work of the department over the past week.

“We usually record about seven or eight smuggling or fraud cases daily, with average collection between RM500,000 and RM1mil a day. But in the last one week, we recorded zero catch,” he told newsmen here yesterday.

Aren't we all professionals and work must go on regardless of circumstances? I find this in excusable, when civil servants do not perform their duties as usual. You can blow your trumpet about good collection of duties, but to me, there is always, always room for improvement. And furthermore, the collection is for the country, not for a deparment.

Idealistic? Yes, but really, we shouldn't settle for any less accountability.