I refer to the report Gov't rejects civil servants' pay hike demand .

If the government is not ready to give poorly paid civil servants a pay hike, it should at least revise their pay to take into the account the total rate of inflation in the past 16 years.

While a little inflation is good for the economy, it surely isn't good for these groups of civil servants. RM100 today most certainly does not buy as much as it did 16 years ago.

Salaries of civil servants from the lower salary scales should be revised annually based on the rate of inflation. The cut-off income at which a person becomes eligible for income tax exemption should also rise in tandem with the rate of inflation. A similar concept should apply to the definition of hardcore poverty.

It is safe to say that with such meagre salaries, most of the income of these groups of civil servants goes towards essential goods and services and not things like luxury goods and overseas holidays. This means that a vast proportion of money the government spends on their pay revision will circulate within the country and a proportion of that will go back to the government as tax revenue.

This keeps consumers and businesses happy, and the incumbent might just win a few more votes from this group at the general elections. A sense of being appreciated could also be what these civil servants need to boost their morale and efficiency.

I urge the government to be empathic and seriously consider at least a pay revision for these civil servants. Can any of our cabinet ministers really imagine what it is like to support a family of four or more on a household income of RM1,000 a month?