The retiring director-general of the Customs and Excise Department pleading ignorance on the retirement bash being planned for him on a grand scale speak volumes of the type of government leaders holding our fort.

But the buck of the brouhaha should fall on his lap as he is still responsible for his department staff activities and if the press did not highlight the scandal, it would have caused a big dent in the government's coffers.

Most of the mandarins of our civil service still have this feudal thinking that their top government posts are their own personal fiefdoms and they expect to be treated like royalty while they hold office.

There will be a lot of sycophants who will do anything to please their bosses and vendors who deal with sensitive departments will have to be reluctant 'donors' failing which they might be blacklisted from department tenders.

Remember the brouhaha about the former chief of the Fire and Rescue Department who allegedly held a grand wedding bash for his son where government assets were used in the preparations? The whistle blower who brought up the issue was instead charged with insubordination and asked to retire prematurely.

It seems to be a paradox that while our political masters ask the public to tighten their belts in view of the price increases for foodstuff, tools and petrol, the top mandarins in the government civil service have no qualms in spending public monies on dinners at expensive hotels and golf tournaments as a token of appreciation for an outgoing chief.

Imagine if you will, if all the director-generals of the various ministries have such a mind set with regards to grand farewells. How much of public funds and staff resources are going to be misused just to please an outgoing chief?

The money can be used for the better purpose of uplifting the living standard of the poor and downtrodden in this country. These kind of extravaganzas really hurt the feelings of the common people who have to struggle with their budget to make ends meet.

Hopefully the chief secretary to the government will come up with proper guidelines on farewell dinners and souvenirs for retiring government department heads. Our political leaders should learn a good lesson from this episode for if they cannot control their civil servants from spending public funds unwisely, then it is about time the opposition be given a chance to do so.