Snail Mail

Can somebody from the Postal Department explain exactly the process of receiving/sending mails/parcels in Brunei, please?

Until today I still do not understand how it can take almost 3 weeks for a letter from the UK to be delivered to someone in Brunei. This happened many times to us. For example, about 3 weeks ago, we sent a letter to Brunei. It was an important document but not too important for us to fork 45GBP to send it through DHL. So, we sent using an express UK mail service. With a given tracking code, we could track the letter through the internet. It was express alright, the letter reached Brunei in 2 days time. Unfortunately, the tracking system only applied in the UK so its whereabouts in Brunei, God knew! Thinking that it should arrive in safe hands within a few days, we were happy.

We were wrong. 2 days ago, the intended recipient asked where the letter was. We were gobsmacked! Finally, today we were told the letter has now finally arrived. It took exactly 18 days: 1 day in UK, 1 day travel, 16 days in Brunei.

Really, the term ‘snail mail’ literally applies to Brunei mail. What happened?

I don’t know about anyone else but a good, reliable postal service is crucial in providing a healthy and conducive business environment. Millions of e-bay UK sellers, for example, depend on the reliability of the UK postal service to deliver the goods in timely manner. Sending anything ‘First Class’ will usually mean next-day delivery wherever you are in the UK (the first time I experienced this, it knocked my socks off! haha). And you can claim for compensation if item is lost or damaged by the Post Office. So if the e-bay VP who is now in Brunei knows about the postal service in Brunei, I’m sure he will devote half his talk about the importance of a reliable delivery system.

Anyway, this is one service that can and should be corporatized (Read: the salary of all employees will depend on their ability to send letters/parcels quickly) so hopefully it can become efficient. I hear it’s in the pipeline. So, a big GOOD LUCK wish from me!

Salaam.

Working Boss

In a few months time, I’ll be going home to Brunei. Believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to resume work with the HOPE that I can make full use of what I have learnt to help the development of Brunei’s economy. But of course this excitement would probably not last for a long time (I will give myself 2 weeks!) especially if I end up not doing things that I think I should do and/or if I don’t work with the right team and/or if the work place is boring and/or if the bosses are…

I remember my conversation with a family friend many months ago. He was a head honcho of a government department in Brunei and our conversation drifted to whether or not I was looking forward to go back to work. And he asked me ‘what’ could excite me to resume work in the office. Well, my answer was ‘the bosses who are working’. (It was also interesting when he told me that as a boss he was also looking for 'working officers', who according to him were scarce).

You see, nothing motivates me more than a ‘working boss’, who unfortunately is hardly to come by in Brunei. And nothing turns me off than a boss who ‘I ask you, you ask me’, who unfortunately exists in a large number. What I mean by a ‘working boss’ is a boss or a HoD or a director who does his/her own thinking, who conveys his/her thoughts clearly to the officers, who knows what he/she wants and who shows that he/she is more capable to do virtually all tasks than any of the subordinates. Don’t get me wrong, I am not looking for a boss who knows everything but a boss that I can look up to, or in the words of our family friend, a mentor.

I am honoured that in the few years I’ve worked I had the opportunity of working with two working bosses, one of whom was the late Professor UBD’s Vice Chancellor (may Allah bless his soul). These two bosses had somehow trained me to love thinking, to believe in what I could do and to be passionate with what I do with the sole objective of developing the country. They were my mentors and I always think to myself, if one day I can be half as good as they were, I’d die a happy woman!

Anyway, I can’t say much of my future bosses as I have yet to work under their leaderships. What I can say for now is I can’t wait to see them and I look forward to our first substantive (intelligent) conversation.

Salaam.

Life After Oil

I was reading the post made by Brunei Resources on ‘Life Without Oil’. He suggested that Brunei should either decrease government spending and/or increase our tax base, which in economics term is what we call ‘contractionary fiscal policy’. This policy is usually applicable to an economy that has a budget surplus, which thanks to the soaring oil price, is actually the case for Brunei. But if you take the oil effect, Brunei’s budget will not be as handsome as it is today.

The effect of a contractionary fiscal policy will be a reduction in the aggregate demand which is not exactly the right prescription for a country that has little economic activities. Having said that however does not mean that the government should just spend all its income. It should be mindful of what it is it’s spending on. What we want is productive spending (and I agree with Mr. BR, this does not include subsidy). Spending that can stimulate the non-oil economy. And we want lots of this. Being a small economy (defined as having a small population) is not without its problem. And for that reason I personally think we need a strong government support (while it is still able) to help the economy as much as it can.

But the question of life after oil is still unanswered.

To answer this, we need Ricardian’s Theory of Comparative Advantage which says that we should produce and specialize in the production or services in which we have comparative advantage. What? You may ask. I say, look around us. We are so fortunate to have plenty of sun, land and sea, which I believe are extremely under-utilized. With a bit of hard work, I’m sure Brunei can develop its comparative advantage. If Singapore, an island that has an extremely limited natural resource can become one of the Asian’s dragons or Liechtenstein with a population of about 34,000 people and equally has a limited amount of natural resources can become one of the highly industrialising economies, then so can Brunei!

Life without oil will not be the end of the world as long as we do something about it. And we should start NOW. The current generation must help the future generation in the transition of oil to non-oil economy. Any ‘rentier’ habit has to be removed from the current system and the mindset of all Bruneians. With the right attitude, the right mind and the right policy Brunei could and should thrive. There must also be a strong will both from the government and the people and of course, some hard work too.

Salaam.

Brunei and Oil Love Affair

My friend Roger Lawrey talks about Brunei's diversification.
I couldn't agree more.

Salaam.

Road to Diversification

There has been another ‘exciting’ development in Brunei’s quest to diversify its economy (or I hope it is what we are doing), and that is Brunei wishes to be the ‘city in the garden’. Is this just a mere statement or is this a real project with plans and strategies already being formulated? If it is a real project, I would love to know and maybe contribute ideas but if it isn’t, then Brunei better do something about it because you can’t just announce to the world that you want to be something and not do it and expect the world to forget.

The thing about us in Brunei is that we love to make fancy headlines: ‘halal branding’, ‘heart of Borneo’, 'Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures', ‘service hub (ShuTT)’, ‘ICT park’, ‘offshore financial centre’, ‘Brunei Inc. (or something like that)’, just to name a few. Please don’t take me wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do this or we cannot dream big but I have yet to see the end products.

I think the main reason why we have not achieved anything in relation to these ‘fancy’ projects or actually ANY project is that there is a lack of detailed plan and strategies. Even if there is one, it is never shared with the public let alone debated. Even worse it is sometimes not even shared among the relevant agencies. As a result the public, including the private sector, do not understand, never mind contribute, and therefore the project is not appreciated and supported.

Take for example ‘halal branding’. Seriously, I don’t fully understand what is it that we want to do? What is our objective? Can it create massive employment? Can it increase food production? How much resources are we devoting? What is our problem? Why does it take so long? How can we help? Do we mean to say that ‘Brunei Halal’ is better that ‘Malaysia Halal’ or ‘Thailand Halal’? Because believe me, when I go to a shop abroad I only look for ‘Halal’ products. Taste and packaging play a more important role in my decision to buy a particular halal product.

I am no expert but I think it is high time that Brunei goes to the basic of development and economic diversification. Instead of devoting our energy and resources to fancy projects, wouldn’t it be better to concentrate in the actual production? I for one want to hear plans for massive agricultural production or fishery or any kind of manufacturing. It sounds boring but it is what we most need to survive. Do remember that we only have 25 years to turn our economy around. And that is not a very long time.

Salaam.

Big Salary, Enough Salary?

Today, thousands of teachers in the UK went on strike and as a result thousands of schools were closed, forcing millions of parents to look for alternative daycare for their children. Thankfully, my children's school didn't participate so school was normal for them.

Today was the teachers. Previously, the university lecturers, the postmen/women and the policemen/women also went on strike due to dispute over pay rise.

I'm thankful that no such incidence has ever happened in Brunei. I cannot imagine the reaction from our government :). But then the pay and perks in the government sector are higher compared to the private sector. Whether or not the current salary scales are appropriate (i.e. taking into account the inflation growth rates over the years) is however another question. I can see the dilemma our government would be facing if the current wage rates are found to be below the appropriate rates. If it raises the scale, it will further widen the public-private wage gap.

Don't take me wrong. I'm not asking for a pay rise. But I think it is unavoidable and equally necessary for some sort of study on the appropriateness of the current salary scale to be carried out especially in the light of poverty reduction. The results will not only be used to aid the poverty alleviation policy but will also be useful in other policies and most of all will be very, very interesting (at least to me!).

Salaam.

Leg Co: ..On POVERTY

I'm surprised, well actually not surprised that the issue of poverty was not heavily debated, despite HM's titah on the vision of zero poverty. Honestly, I feel really sad to hear that this issue will be tackled by yet ANOTHER poverty research. I mean, seriously... how much research do we need to prove that there ARE poor people in this rich country! And what is wrong with the research made by the UBD? Do we need to waste 3, 4, 5 more years and spend millions just to prove that there is no poverty in Brunei? I've heard about this poverty research like almost 10 years ago (if I remember, it was the year I started my first job) and until today I have not seen any national poverty-related policies besides the MUIB's zakat payment. And if there are recipients of Zakat, then surely there must be poverty..what more proof do we need?

People talk about absolute poverty vs relative poverty. For those who are not familiar with those terms, 'absolute poverty' is basically the number of people or households who cannot afford certain basic goods and services, while 'relative poverty' refers to the number of households (or families if you like) whose income falls below the national average income. So, a family of 6, earning only about $1200 a month definitely falls under the category of 'relative poverty'. They may probably able to buy the basic necessities with that income but that income surely must be below our median income.

If you ask me, I don't know what our median income is, but I suspect for a rich country like us, it should be quite high. So, my question is do we really need another research just to determine our median income? Or should we put our heads together to combat poverty NOW before it gets worse. I feel what Brunei needs actually is to form a serious national committee to address this issue.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but to me poverty issue shouldn't be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports alone or poverty is not all about giving welfare benefits. It needs to be addressed in a holistic manner. The fundamental issue is the gap between the rich and the poor. An increasing relative poverty means that there is an unequal distribution of income i.e. there is a large gap between the rich and the poor. Therefore our main challenge is to reduce this gap, because to me income equality = zero poverty.

This should be debated. The ways and means to reduce the gap. It is not about getting salary increments (because to me that in itself will actually result in a higher gap. Why? Because not all of the poors are employed in the government sector) it is more about formulating policies that specifically deal with the poors. For example, the national housing scheme. There should be a separate policy or separate queue (if you are trying to picture it in your head) for those who fall under the category of 'relative poverty' with its own separate terms and conditions, and prices (or no price at all!)

What about subsidies and taxes? These have been the traditional means of income redistribution. Surely, it is high time Brunei reviews its subsidies. Should those who are earning above the median income level pay the same subsidised price of rice as those earning below the median income? Now, there seems to be a serious talk about the irresponsibility of our people (who presumably think that electricity and water are their God's given rights and think that electricity probably comes from air) in paying the utility bills which is costly to the government (see here). If our people continue to be thick-headed and the government decides to reduce the various utility subsidies, then what about the poors? Now, taxes....well this is THE number one taboo in Brunei. But let's start with some form of property taxes. Number 1: tax on rental properties (to help finance the national housing scheme for the poors).

And then there is the related issue of unemployment. I wrote about this in the last post. I don't know how to further express myself but this issue NEEDS to be addressed properly. If the government can no longer afford to provide full employments in the public sector, then whether we like it or not, the government needs to do something about the wage gap because unemployment can cause poverty.

What about education? Yes, we do have the 12 year education policy, but my question is does this cover EVERYone? I'm thinking about those teenagers who got pregnant/married before they finish their 12 year education. How can we help them? How do we expect them to provide for their children if they don't have enough education. Won't it contribute to the poverty spiral?

There are more to think of! Such as how do we help the poors get out of their poverty condition? You know more in the lines of Give-a-man-a-fish-and-you-feed-him-for-a-day, Teach-a-man-to-fish-you-feed-him-a-lifetime.

Oh dear, it's almost midnight. I was supposed to have a break from 'thinking' today after submitting a chapter to my supervisor :) Anyway, the whole point of this post is to actually implore the relevant government agencies to STOP wasting time and resources 'wondering' whether or not we have poverty. Whatever poverty we have now, I think should still be manageable. So please don't wait until it gets too late.

Salaam.

Leg Co: ..On Unemployment

I don't know whether to laugh or to cry when I read the reports (in the newspapers here and here and here) of the Leg Co Session today. It was quite disappointing really because there was nothing new. One minister asked the private sector to hire the locals, while the other asked the locals to work in the private sector. I have no problem with both suggestions. But I fail to understand why no minister was addressing the root of the problem, which to me is the remuneration gap in the public and the private sector.

The gap is huge! To know someone in the public sector, who has the same exact qualification with the same skill, is paid triple the amount one is getting in a private sector is really demotivating to anyone. I don't know about you but seriously somebody has to address this issue. As I said in my previous post it is not enough (and equally unfair) to ask the private sector raising their pay rate to the locals due to several reasons. First, our private sector consists largely of SMEs. Second, our SMEs are weak as highlighted by the Minister of the MIPR. And third, the productivity and the commitment of our locals are not exactly commendable.

Now, in my humble opinion it is inevitable and imperative for the government to intervene. Either reduce the remuneration scale in the public sector and/or prop up the remuneration in the private sector. My preference goes to the latter as I believe it would have a larger multiplier effect to the economy. Perhaps take this idea as some sort of 'employment' benefit as opposed to the 'unemployment' benefit. If you are thinking, more government spending and where can we get the fund to do this? Now, I think there is even a stronger need for the government to review the subsidy (especially the fuel subsidy :) Plus, I also think that the government would actually save by spending only some fraction supporting locals who work in the private sector as opposed to employing these locals in the public sector. And of course the direct effect it has on the private sector itself (as compared to the reduction of the corporate tax! No, I'm not going to make any comment on this one) It's a Win, Win situation, No?

With regards to the mind-set problem and the attitude of our local workers, I think the issue is not exclusive to the private sector. I'm sorry..but look at out public sector's employees! I honestly wonder how can you expect the locals to be in their best behaviour in the private sector which pays considerably less when those in the public sector are having the time of their lives and being paid more. And that is why I also think it is equally imperative for the public sector to practice a more realistic productivity-linked wage system.

Oh Well, I'm just in my own world and who am I to say. I don't even know why I'm racking my brain for this.

Salaam

Wish List

In light of the current Leg Co Session, below are my 'wish list' of topics that I hope the distinguished Yang Berhormats are debating:

1. Unemployment: This has been a main issue since 10 years ago which I feel has not been properly addressed with only some 'piecemeal' solutions thrown from different departments without any coordination. The demand as well as the supply sides of the issue have to be debated. The issues involving the unemployment include:
i)The conflict between local vs. foreign workers: which to a certain extent related to the attitude of local workers.
ii)The remuneration gap: And NO I don't want to hear the same proposal where the employer (the private sector) is asked to give higher wages. That, to me is NOT a solution. What can the government DO to reduce this gap?
iii)The attitude of local workers: A serious lack of commitment.
iv) The welfare and rights of workers: What more can I say?
v) The rights of employers: While employees can lodge their complaints to the Labour Department, where can employers go?
vi) The availability of jobs. Can the private sector provides 'enough' jobs?
vii) Working age: The merits/demerits of extending the pension age.
viii) Job trainings/ skills etc.

2. Social illnesses: Drugs, school-dropouts, teenage pregnancy etc. These are just at the top of my head.

3. Poverty: I cannot stress any further. His Majesty's vision of 0% poverty needs to be addressed properly. The issues related to poverty include:
i) Establishing a national poverty line - in order to measure the gap between the rich and the poor and just HOW poor are we?
ii)To go beyond the solution of providing just 'monetary assistance'.
iii) To combat social illnesses which are very much related with poverty.
iv) To review some fiscal measures i.e. tax and subsidy as the traditional means of redistributing income.

4. Last but certainly NOT the least, BRUNEI's Future:
i) After Oil....What?
ii) Oil Fund to provide for the future. If BIA is doing this, where DO we stand at the moment? How secure is our future? How long can the fund sustain Brunei in the event oil runs dry (This can happen, No?)
iii) Pension schemes: Is TAP enough? How can we eradicate poverty if there is not enough money to provide for the daily expenses, once out of work. What is the merit/demerit of re-introducing a (NOT SO LAVISH) pension scheme. What is the possibility for the 'employer' to increase its contribution. BUT bearing in mind the capability of the current 'weak' private sector. How can the government assist the local workers in the private sector in the provision of a secure future.
iv) What about some form of a National Insurance for every working Bruneian? What happens if accidents occur, death etc?

Oh the list goes on!
But then these are just a mommy's wish..and we'll see how the session goes.

Salaam.

Fuel Subsidy, Again.

I'm quite disappointed with the comments made by the acting Chairman of BEDB. As an economist and an entrepreneur, it is actually the least I expected from him. A few days ago he did mention that Brunei should stand up and face the economic challenges and be prepared to changes and be more adaptable to changes. Well, this is a challenge! If Bruneians can face this challenge, then let's bring the others...

First of all, he didn't seem to acknowledge that car fuel, at times when global prices are rising, is not a necessity. True, people's lives will be affected as the cost of driving a car will go up due to a reduction in subsidy and it will also affect the prices of goods. But I believe people will react by economising not only the use of their cars but also their day to day purchases down to the level of necessity. It would certainly be a different matter, if the government were to reduce the level of subsidy on electricity (but again Bruneians DO NOT economise their electricity usage).

Now, if the government were to decide to go ahead with the slashing of the fuel subsidy, the relavant government agencies should come forward to alleviate the effects on the lives of Bruneians. Firstly, this is when Price Control should be THE active policy in regulating the prices of necessities. Price ceilings of goods which are deemed staple MUST be worked out NOW so that sellers do not take advantage of the increasing fuel price.

Secondly, the Ministry of Education and/or the Ministry of Communication for instance, should come forward in helping parents transporting their children to school. School buses have to be provided and preferably privatised. This will not only directly help the people but also can help boost the transportation industry.

According to the Minister of Energy, about B$500 million was spent on the fuel subsidy in 2005. Again, that's A LOT! The money could be spent on other productive activities including in providing the resources for the above-mentioned activities. But the one use that can directly help the weak private sector and perhaps nurture new entrepreneurial ideas is to use it as SEED MONEY. Instead of spending millions making Bruneians lazy, why not use a fraction of the money making lots of Brunei entrepreneurs. Now BEDB could play a big role here as the agency responsible in giving seed money to the potential entrepreneurs.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that in 'every challenge there lies an opportunity' as there must always be 'a blessing in disguise'. This should be the slogan to any good entrepreneur. And I also wonder why should Bruneians be insulated from the effects of the global forces as I think it is unhealthy to the development of a resilient economy and a nation as a whole. It is high time, Bruneians learn to think rationally and start prioritising their lives. Not only that, I also think that a shock is probably what this sleepy country needs to revitalise its weak economy.

Salaam.

"The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything either as a blessing or a curse." (Carlos Casteneda)

P.S. If you read the news, the US economy is heading more and more towards a recession. A gloomy sign to the global economy. Now, that's a BIG challenge!

Paradox of Plenty: Are We Cursed?

A few days ago BB reported the findings of the Asian Development Bank's International Comparison Study (click here for the ADB report) and that Brunei was the richest in the region with a GDP Per Capita income of about US$34,600.

Translation: It is the amount that every person who lives in Brunei (those who make up the population) would receive yearly from the income generated through productive activities. Well, now you know what it means, please don't go march to the Ministry of Finance and demand that money! In reality, as we all know some earn more and some earn less. And of course, if the government were to spend all the money on its people then what future would lie for us? Basically Per Capita income is used as a measure of wealth i.e. the higher, the wealthier.

Now, back to the ADB's report. Should we celebrate being the richest?

Look around us, we have unemployment, people rely on government employment, the private sector is weak and the economy is far from being diversified. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the traits of a country 'cursed' with natural resources. The economic term for it is the resource curse thesis (Richard Auty, 1993) which describes how a country cannot use its wealth to boost its economy. What happens is that because the income from oil and gas (the natural resources) is so high, the economy revolves around it. The government who is the recepient of the oil income, for example, pays higher salaries then other (private) industries. As a result, everyone wants to work with the government. Another example is tax. Because Brunei is so rich, the government doesn't want/need to burden its people and as a result we may be deprived of more efficient public services.

Another negative effect of having an abundant natural resource, particularly the richly oil, is rentierism. A rentier state is a country which derives a large portion of its national revenue from a natural resource. The characteristics of a rentier state which are not favourable to the economic development, among others are limited linkages between the oil sector and the rest of economy, high dependence on import of goods, lack of economic diversification, a large import of foreign labours manning basic services and many others (which are quite sensitive but very interesting!).

Perhaps, the most negative effect of being a rentier state is the creation of a 'rentier mentality' in which rewards of income or wealth do not come from work, but come as a result of chance (Beblawi, 1990).

Anyway, to me these are all very interesting. I sincerely hope that somebody would do some research on how badly 'cursed' are we? Or should we really blame the natural resources? And what should we do to right the wrongs? And many other questions.

Oh, well it's almost midnight and my back hurts. Till then.

Salaam.

Are We A Responsible Nation?

It saddens me to think that we Bruneians are NOT the most responsible and (probably trustworthy) people in the world. Why do I think that? Well, in Brudirect recently (am not sure if it’s also featured in the RTB news) there was a story regarding a lady who badly needed a house but couldn’t afford to build one and all the while did not have any electricity. However, due to the generousity of an unnamed donor, Insya Allah, the lady would eventually be celebrating her Raya in a proper house.

First of all, I am quite shocked that there are people who actually do not have any access to electricity, in such a rich nation and in this 21st century! Apparently, according to my husband, who has done a lot of remote places visitings, this is not an isolated case. Well, his explanation was that because the houses are not properly built (without the authority approvals), their applications to get electricity are turned down. However, I said the only way for these people to get approvals for their houses, would be through architects, which would be costly. And since they are poor, how on earth would they get the additional money to pay for such service? (something to ponder about).

Then our discussion (during sahur) moves towards the now-discontinued Perumahan Rakyat Jati Scheme (not sure if that’s the real scheme name), you know those wooden brown houses which were given (FOC) to those of low income earners. Why was it discontinued? Well, I believe it’s all related to the selfishness of those who are given houses in the Perumahan Scheme. I remember, I once spoke to an officer from the Housing Department, who told me the dilemma they were facing regarding the Perumahan Scheme. The percentage of people who were paying was very low (and I think still is!) So, this could be the main reason why the former scheme is discontinued.

Well, in case you don’t understand how the two are related, you see, I believe the payment received from the Perumahan scheme, partly will be used to finance the PRJ scheme. If there’s no payment, then there wouldn’t be any money to build the latter. I maybe wrong, but if this is true, then sadly, because of the selfishness and irresponsibility of those in the Perumahan Scheme, people who are in real need (and genuinely cannot afford) of a proper roof, suffer.

I don’t know about you, but we should be grateful with all the facilities the government has provided us. But unfortunately for some people, it is never enough. I’m ashamed with the attitudes of many of us towards work, towards the community and sometimes towards each other; which I sum up as plain irresponsible and selfish. Often you hear people complain about everything! The salary is not enough (despite the recent salary increase and the fact that they are fortunate enough to have a secured job!); it is unfair to stop people from having tea-breaks (reason being some government departments have no canteens! And they probably would die of hunger despite their current physical and health states, which are often obese and diabetic); there is no job (although there are thousands of foreign workers doing hundreds of jobs which could also be done by Bruneians); and etc etc.

These are all examples of irresponsible people. Why the salary is never enough? Because they have just bought bigger cars or buy top-of the range furniture with the ‘Buy now Pay later’ scheme, and as a result they can’t even provide the basic necessities for their family and children. Why is there no job? Well it is the ‘government’ job that is not available and for some reason many Bruneians (and sadly the younger ones) seem to think that it is their God-given right to a government job! As a result, they are putting financial pressure to their families (especially their parents) or even worse, these unemployeds couldn’t even bothered to take the responsibility of having protected sex, which results in many out-of-wed babies, which in the end burden other members of their families (often parents/grandparents). And don't let me even start with those who just love to spend most of their time eating and drinking while at work!

As human beings, we all have responsibilities. And it is through our actions that our responsibilities are carried out. Often we don’t see how our actions will affect others. Unfortunately, many times they do. And that is precisely why we should think twice before we do anything.

Selamat Hari Raya.

Salaam.

The employer speaks at last!

I am very pleased with the new JPA memo regarding external tea break during office hours. It is about time (and long overdue) that such activity be banned. I guess you don't need to be an economist to understand the benefit it will bring to the public sector. (Well, ironically it may hurt the private sector for a little while i.e. the restaurants being deprived of patrons). Perhaps we may see office food delivery service on the rise.

Another office rule that I believe should be implemented is to to limit the number of hours an office meeting should last. An officer may not be away from his/her office but is still impossible to find as he/she is ALWAYS in a meeting.

Salaam.