1. The document lists 15 suggestions for ways the government and politicians can change their lifestyles and reduce wasteful spending in order to set a good example for the public during times of economic hardship. This includes limiting meetings, travel, and expenditures on unnecessary items. 2. It also suggests having politicians and civil servants experience public transportation, shopping on limited budgets, and working directly with disadvantaged groups to better understand their challenges. 3. Government offices are advised to improve efficiency and cut wait times for the public by paging employees back from breaks quickly and holding them accountable for lost paperwork.

1. YOU WALK THE TALK FIRST BY MARINA
MAHATHIR
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The Government wants us to change our lifestyles to cope
with inflation. It is easier said than done since most people
were having it difficult even before the hikes. The Government
must first set an example by doing things it should have done
long ago.
WITH the recent hike in fuel prices and the Government’s
exhortations for us to change our lifestyles in order to cope,
may I provide here some suggestions for the Government and
those who work for it to “share our burden”.
1. STOP HAVING MEETINGS, ESPECIALLY OUT AT
RESORTS, FAR ENOUGH AWAY to be able to claim
transport allowances. Have online meetings instead or
teleconferences. Use Skype or chat.
2. NO NEED TO ORDER SPECIAL PENS, BAGS, T-SHIRTS,
NOTEPADS AND OTHER GOODIES FOR THOSE SAME
MEETINGS.
3. NO NEED TO ORDER KUIH FOR MID-MORNING OR
TEATIME MEETINGS IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES, or nasi
briyani lunches for those meetings that happen to end
just at lunchtime.

2. 4. CANCEL ALL TRIPS FOR GOVERNMENT
SERVANTS TO CONFERENCES OVERSEAS unless
they return with full reports of what they did
there, who they met and what they learnt and
how they mean to apply what they learnt at
home. Ask them to do presentations to
colleagues who did not get to go, on the most
interesting and important papers that they read.
5. SCRUTINISE INVOICES FOR CONTRACTS to
make sure they are truly reflective of what those
projects or supplies cost.
6. STOP ELABORATE LAUNCHES FOR
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES. In particular, stop
the buying of souvenirs, special batik shirts,
corsages, bouquets and caps.
7. MAKE ALL CIVIL SERVANTS AND POLITICIANS
TRAVEL ECONOMY CLASS. That means really
travelling at the back of the plane and not buying
full fare economy class tickets that allow them to
be upgraded to Business Class.
YOU WALK THE TALK FIRST BY MARINA MAHATHIR

3. 8. STOP HAVING THE FULL COMPLEMENT OF
POLICE ESCORTS TO CUT DOWN ON PETROL
COSTS. If they need to be somewhere by a
certain time, start earlier like the rest of us.
Wouldn’t be a bad thing for them to also
experience a traffic jam.
9. Once a week (or more), HAVE MINISTERS USE
PUBLIC TRANSPORT so they know what
everyone else has to suffer. This might provide
them with the incentive to improve them.
10. Once a week, LET MINISTERS GO TO A
MARKET TO BUY FOOD for their families with
instructions to not spend more than RM100.
11. GET MINISTERS TO CARPOOL. They might
get more work done just by being able to talk to
each other to see what can be coordinated
between their ministries. For instance, the
Ministers of Health and Women could discuss
what to do about women’s health issues in the
car on the way to work. Maybe have a secretary
to travel in the front seat to take down notes on
what was discussed. By the time they get to
their offices, things can get implemented.

4. 12. Once a month, GET CIVIL SERVANTS TO
WORK WITH ONE DISADVANTAGED
GROUP in order to be better able to
appreciate their problems. It could be blind
people one month, hearing disabled people
the next, orang asli the following month
and people living with HIV/AIDS after that.
We could start buddy systems which pair
one civil servant with one disadvantaged
person and at the end of it, ask each pair to
make recommendations on how to make
life better for each other. This might get rid
of the problem of desk jockeys, people who
never stray very far from their desks yet
make policies for people they know nothing
about.

5. 13. HAVE PA SYSTEMS THAT SHOUT OUT THE
NAME OF THE OFFICERS WHO HAVE TO SERVE
PEOPLE AT GOVERNMENT OFFICES SO THAT
PEOPLE GET THE SERVICES THEY CAME FOR and
don’t have to keep coming back just because the
officer was out having coffee. No counter should
be left unmanned for more than five minutes
before the officer is paged to go back to their
stations. This should cut down waiting time for the
public and save them transport costs in having to
keep returning just to get one thing done.
14. GOVERNMENT OFFICERS WHO LOSE PEOPLE’S
FILES SHOULD BE FINED AND HAVE THEIR NAMES
PUBLICISED for being careless and causing in-
convenience to the public. Instead of making the
public travel to heir offices several times to deal
with their problems, they should travel to go see
their client and deal with it right there and then.
And every officer who goes out of the office should
be given a reasonable time to get his work done
after which he is expected back in office so he
doesn’t waste time doing something else.

6. 15. AND NEWSPAPERS SHOULD SAVE PAPER
BY REPORTING REAL NEWS RATHER THAN
NON-NEWS THAT THEY CARRY, particularly
nonsensical utterances by politicians. As they
say, we need to do this all together in order to
make a difference. So if the Government and
politicians make these lifestyle changes, I will
do my part and change mine.
Thank You.
Marina Mahathir