PMD seeks TikToker's cooperation on claim govt officers played truant
The Prime Minister's Department (PMD) is seeking the cooperation of a social media content creator who claimed that government officers were truant when she visited the department earlier this month.
In a Facebook post last night, the PMD said it has yet to receive a formal complaint and asked the woman to...
The Prime Minister's Department (PMD) is seeking the cooperation of a social media content creator who claimed that government officers were truant when she visited the department earlier this month.
In a Facebook post last night, the PMD said it has yet to receive a formal complaint and asked the woman to contact them and provide further information to facilitate investigations.
The complaints were made on the short video platform TikTok on June 3.
In the video, the woman railed against government officers for being lazy.
Among her allegations was that there were no officers at the PMD's reception counter when she visited that day.
After a long wait, she claimed to have been informed by another officer that the government staff were on their break. It was 12pm at the time, according to the woman.
The woman said she then went to have lunch at a cafeteria at another government building and alleged that many patrons did not leave to go back to work despite lunch hour ending at 2pm.
She said it was immoral for government officers who are paid by the public and entrusted to serve, to not do their jobs.
It is heartening, PMD, that you wish the TikToker to come forth with more details so that you can carry out an appropriate investigation. I was moved to tears at your concern, though we all know your response was from “Chapter 3 of your Manual – Send the TikTok guy the Bug Letter”. Or to put it in more local parlance, please don’t TokKok. So, a simple question. There was a complaint recently, supported by a video clip, of some officers in a government department being extremely rude and aggressive to a member of the public. What have you done about that issue? Perhaps the inevitable “The matter is under investigation.” Or its twin reply, “It was all a misunderstanding”. Next, a simple test. Pick up one of the many impressive telephones on your table and call the Inland Revenue Board, any branch, any division. If you get a reply, then surely Lady Fortune smiles upon thee. Having said that, I must hasten to add that should one indeed get a reply to the call, the officers are efficient, helpful, and courteous, and this includes the switchboard operators also. Recently I had reason to call JPN (the I.C. Office) and MPPJ. And the result? The calls were answered by the 3rd ring and the service – Excellent, Friendly and Helpful. This welcome attitude includes those fortunately few occasions when I had to go to a police station. The public dissatisfaction with officialdom is invariably not with the officers but the damn system. Lastly, another question. If in a break from tradition you actually do follow-up on the TikTok complaint, how would you respond if the under-performing officers ask you “Why can’t I play truant or earn gaji buta? After all, that practice was introduced by a former Chief Secretary.”
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