Ahmad Maslan’s bizarre remark calling on Malaysians to get two jobs to tide over the rising costs of living has continued to earn him ridicule.

Today, former information minister Zainuddin Maidin said the deputy international trade and industry minister is sending the wrong message to the civil service with his untimely advice.

“Surely civil servants and government officers would count themselves as in the same group that he is referring to (who needs two jobs), because they too are among those who find their incomes getting less because of rising expenditure that comes with rising cost of goods and so on.

“Ahmad Maslan doesn’t realise the effect of what he has said can demolish the values that need to be upheld and strengthened especially for government servants,” wrote Zainuddin on his blog.

He said the attitude of civil servants has plummeted compared to the administration of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Now we see how government staff lepak (idle away) at the mamak shops during working hours especially in Putrajaya, except where they are headed by department heads who are known to be really firm and tough,” he wrote.

“Ahmad’s statement has clearly shown how our society is heading for ruins, especially among politicians themselves.”

The deputy minister’s remarks, Zainuddin said, reminded him of the working attitudes of Indonesian civil servants where they clock in in the morning and “disappear” at noon to work on other jobs.

Pointing out how Indonesians have had to resort to working two to three jobs from the time of former president Sukarno, Zainuddin believes that Malaysians are heading towards the same thing.

“I was very shocked with Ahmad’s statement that will only further destroy the discipline of civil servants, especially among teachers who even today have long been involved in conducting tuition classes.

“We are adding to the criteria in enabling us to become a failed nation,” he said.

Defending his remarks made over the weekend, Ahmad on Monday pointed out how he himself holds three jobs.

His defence, however, has not been well received and is currently being made the butt of jokes among Twitter users through the 2kerja and buat2kerja hashtags.

In his latest statement yesterday, Ahmad said it was better to learn e-commerce skills than surfing the social media till the wee hours of the morning, pointing out that a part-time job in e-commerce will bring in revenue.