Note to civil-servant-who-likes-to-commit-AWOL

Dear Civil-Servant-who-likes-to-commit-AWOL,

I'm sure that by now your boss or your peers must had tried telling you to stop
coming late to the office; or
leaving the office early; or
missing in action in between punching the punch card in and out; or
all of the above

It's common knowledge that most absenteeism cases are committed by employees in the support group, so if you are in the management and professional group - it's worse because you should know better.

And you in the support group - who says that you have any right to come and go from the office as you please? The office does not belong to your father/grandfather/great grandfather, so please treat it with respect as the money which pay your monthly salary originates from the rakyat.

From 316 disciplinary cases recorded in the first quarter of 2009, absenteeism accounted for 179 cases. That's more than half of the cases recorded. And not all absenteeism cases are treated as disciplinary cases. Most cases are merely dealt with administratively, not subject to the procedures laid out in the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993, so only Allah knows how many cases actually are out there.

So, back to you. Yes, you who treat absence without leave from work oh-so-lightly. Who are you kidding, really? Do you really believe that you are going to get away with it with no penalty whatsoever? General Order (Chapter C) allows your emolument to be deducted according to days you went absent without leave.

And you who loves punching your punch card in the morning, goes missing, and punch your card out in the evening - do you think that your emolument won't be deducted because there's proof that you were not absent from work? How about if your boss started making an hourly roll-call for you, or your Chief Clerk started making a log book to check your attendance every other hour? Hah, yes, there are methods to certify your presence in the office apart from just relying on the punch card after all...

And really, do you think you will get way from this that easily???
I mean, if you are a Muslim, and we do know that the largest composition in the civil service is made out of Muslim, then you will be questioned for your doings in the hereafter. It doesn't end here, in this world. You would be held responsible for your doings in the hereafter.

So - by being absent from work without leave, you are not being fair - not only to yourselves, but also to your family, your colleagues and those outside there who would be better officers than you had you not be in the position they could've filled otherwise.

By 'not being fair' , or in other words, being 'cruel' to yourself, I mean that you are going to be held liable for your wrongdoings, so surely purposely not going to work while you get paid for it is an offence. It's different if you want to work and there's no work allocated for you, but if there's work for you to do, and you simply skip doing it for no good reason, don't you think that's just plain wrong?

And the money that you get from not doing your job - yes, your salary. You take it back home, you feed your partner and children out of that 'dirty' money, do you think it would not affect them? Aren't you being 'cruel' to them by feeding them out of money made not through good, clean work, but rather dishonest mean? You did not work, you did not deserve being paid, so that money could not be really 'clean', can it?

And you burden your colleagues at work by not doing the tasks you were supposed to carry out. Somebody else have to do it in your place. Other people have to do what you were supposed to do and you think they would not be mad at you? You goes absent, and set bad examples to other honest, hardworking officers. Do you really think that you and your attitude will not have any effect whatsoever on your organization? Think again.

And had you not be in the position where you are now - someone else could have easily filled up your position and do a better job. But he or she could not do it because the place is not vacant. Your name is there. Your presence in the office pay roll means others could not be where you were supposed to be but you are not really there. So, yes, you are not being fair to others out there who could do a lot better job than you do.

So - if you really are not interested in your job - quit.
If you really want to be in the government service - please change for the better.
Otherwise, just stop being cruel to yourself, your family, your friends at work and others by quitting.
Remember your promise to serve the rakyat when you first joined the civil service?
(I mean, come on, everybody knows that at some point of time, you must had had promised to serve the rakyat by being a civil servant.)
Rather than continuing your AWOL thingy, you would be of better service to the rakyat by not being in the civil service.
Seriously.

Thank you.