Does money define your dignity?

All civil servants are now in dilemma yet again. To opt or not to opt the new salary scheme called SBPA. It offers new salary and reactivates the classic “ass-kissing” way of promotion. The increment ranges from 300 to a whopping 5K and as usual the higher end belongs to the higher ranking civil servants. In my term, the professors receive the biggest increment and I as usual will be at the other end. The deadline to opt is at end of the year but due to some loopholes in the scheme some people feel victimized and report a complaint not to the police but straight to the PM. And with ‘mesra rakyat’ slogan the PM office could not say NO but postpone the deadline for a review. The loophole seems to be at the middle-higher structure of the scheme. The transfer to the new scheme will put a 10-year senior at the same salary spot with a newly appointed junior. A 10-years associate professor, for example, will have the same salary with a newly appointed associate professor. Where is the fairness in this? ,someone asked. The government should recognize our seniority and reward accordingly. It’s not about money, but our dignity, they seem to justify. And how much money/salary range that we are talking here -7-8K basic salary per month. With all the allowances that will easily come up to at least 10K per month but people just never satisfy. We want more and more.

But we can’t blame anybody now as money seems to define our life. Students are given RM200 for the books, the BR1M gives RM500 to buy groceries and everyone gets a bigger fatter wallet at the back pocket. We have become so caught up counting money we never realized that we have turned capitalists; where money is everything. Every single drop of sweat has a dollar sign and things won’t move unless you pay for it to move. Day by day we can feel all these coming to our doorsteps and soon will get into our hearts and minds. We have become so much like the West, so modern and advanced. But are we not aware that the West is going bust in their economy----the capitalist. Are we going the same way ?

We seem to forget the strength that we have all along called Islam. some of us hate it because the West hate it. They have painted everything bad about Islam and we just follow. In Islam dignity is not about dollars and cents but one’s closeness to God .For some it’s hard to comprehend, as being good won’t buy you lunch or feed your children. Our modern society has isolated the thing called faith from our everyday life. The thing that we know will make our life easier---faith not the money. But it’s difficult to realize that until we change our perspective of life. The thing is not easy but can be done. Make doa and he will show the way, InsyaALlah.

So choose the right word to define your dignity and your life. And choose the right people to govern and define our society.