A TOP POLITICO has raised eyebrows, but more importantly, the ire of civil servants, since he purchased a brand new vehicle.
They aren’t jealous of his success; they are vex that at a time when their jobs look precarious this man drives his new car one day, and the not so much older vehicle the next.
The civil servants are crying shame that this man should be parading his personal financial success in this way, when the country is going broke.
But Cou Cou understands this top boy is not the only one with new wheels. Another politico is making a bold, audacious statement in his European-made ride.
The sleek white ride is a top of the line change from his old black one, which is a brand used by many. So this heavy ride would help to set him apart even more from the populace.
If this trend continues, it would start another trend of more than expanding waistlines among a certain group of people.
Stop SmartStream excuses!
CIVIL SERVANTS in the know are crying foul at the excuse being given for the unease among temporary workers in the service. They are disputing the blame being put on the SmartStream function for just cutting off people at a certain time as the reason the names of these workers are not coming up as they used to.
According to a career civil servant who works with SmartStream, the mechanism has an authority and it comes to an end date. However, if there is no information forthcoming from the political directorate, then nothing can be inputted to the system, so the names of people would have to drop out.
The veteran civil servant feels the Government should level with the temporary workers about their future and stop the excuses which can be disproved, especially the statement that statutory corporations are the ones primarily affected when the situation is more widespread than that.
The officer told Cou Cou this situation has primarily been caused by the announcements made in the Budget that there will be no more hiring. Since then temporary workers who have not been paid since last month, and some even earlier, have become fearful and agitated.
Cou Cou understands, too, that the fear of losing their pick is so widespread that temporary workers, including teachers, are bombarding Government offices with calls, wanting to know just what is going on. But if anyone knows, no one is saying anything.
Long, dreary road ahead
DON’T LOOK FOR ANYONE from a certain group to have the conscience to seek to change what is really happening in the country.
From what Cou Cou has been told, it is just not in their interest to do so.
According to those in the know, the vast majority of those who can change the course of history would lose the biggest bucks of their lives as well as a comfortable retirement plan – so why should they do anything?
Given this situation, it seems it’s going to be a long, dreary time ahead.
No nine-day wonder here
GOVERNMENT PLAYED its aces during the Budget and seemingly won the day. The noises over its proposals since then are becoming so loud that Cou Cou wonders if the members gambled wrong.
The tide of complaints against the imposition of tuition fees on students seems to be rising, so the bet it would be no more than the usual nine days’ wonder now appears doubtful.
Noises are coming, too, from Government’s friends on the labour front. They are concerned about the impact on their members of the consolidation tax on gross income of people earning $50 000 and over, given that they have not had a pay rise since 2009.
And on Monday the doctors are holding an emergency meeting to decide how they can proceed, given the $35 million chop at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. They have said the cuts add insult to injury for the already underfunded hospital while the freeze in temporary workers will make a desperate situation worse.