Last week on June 17 2006, my guy friends made an appointment to have lunch together. We rarely meet together because we have been working in different workplace. Some of whom are busy and working in provinces. When we were at university, we all aways gather so often, almost every evening. When we were in car, one of mine talked to other one that you passed civil servant entrance examination. So today it was your turn to pay all of us. And then I felt surprised because he passed test in top list. He will be sent to work in Kompong Cham province. What he was worried about is salary. He asked me and my friends, whether how to live on government salary. He will need to pay for renting house, meal and something. My friend, Sary, who is serving in Kampot as civil servant, he said that we need to be close with boss and show the previous working experiences to him. When he is interested in our work and he will help sumplement the shortage of basic salary.
To talk about life of civil servant, I am one of civil servant also. Now, I am working for Royal Academy of Cambodia but I never go to work because low salary can not support my basic spending and family. So that, I dicided to work for Non-governmental organisation. My government salary is 190,000 Riel ( $46) per month. If I have no extra job, I would not live on it. Nowsaday, my government institution is blaming me of not going to work regularly, In fact I have no desk and table for work and I have no work as well. What is important is that they need my daily signature. When I went to my institution, most of us always stand under the tree, where is our office.
My other one, Channa, said that “I would have no luck to be government official in my life”.
If we look at the other givernment officials getting similar monthly salary, they have morden car and many housed. How did their income come from?. Do they have their own big business or something?. Recently, teachers and labor union plan to demonstrate to raise salaly but their plan was not given permission.
This is great. Please keep bloggin as long as you can. Unless you actually live in Cambodia AND know someone who works as a civil servant, it is impossible to get this kind of insight. (i really hope it doesn’t cause any problems with your job(s)).
It is hard for civil servant to depand on low salary.