Criminality and Sanctity of Economics

Pay hike for civil servants have just been announced. Its suppose to be a celebration time in the town. But the irony is that there is an avalanche of angry opinions gushing every where. While the topic has infuriated many, civil servants are musing and quite. Surely, there seem to be an issue. First People, it seems are angry with the Government for using a mathematical tricks. Second, People are angry with the way revisions are proposed for politicians, who have otherwise promised to sacrifice many things including their perks like car and pay during the electoral campaigns. And surely, Economists' who worked on this trick for the last many months, must be blushing, scratching and melting somewhere. Read the excerpt below: 

 " 'A mathematician, a Statistician and an Economist apply for the same job. The interviewer asks the Mathematician. "what's two plus two? The Mathematician replies, "Four". The he interviewer calls in the Statistician and asks the same question. The statistician says, "on an average, Four -give or take ten percent." The the interviewer calls in the economist, and asks, "what does two plus two equal?" The economists locks the door, leans close to the interviewer and whispers, "what do you want it to equal?" "

In our case, the Economists' have now equaled "two plus two" to something like 19%, 20%, 21% ....25% for the civil servants and suddenly to 50%, 60%, 70% .....and shockingly to 130% or even more to the Politicians. I am not sure. As I said earlier, I am indifferent and I am yet to do the analysis myself. But if what general public are crying for is true than it is a plain criminal Economics. It simply shows the kind of disregard concern people have shown to the sanctity of Economics and Maths. 

After having read my earlier post, I got a call from one of my reader. He told me about how he is coping with a pair of shoes like me.  And with recent pay hike, he told me that he could afford some thing extra. - a tin of  polish and a shoe brush. We both laughed and said good bye. 

Before I close this post, I want to write something very auspicious and important, Its 2nd June today and every Bhutanese knows the significance of this day. Since its not marked in the calender its understandable for some people to have slipped from their mind. On this day in 1974, our beloved King, His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyelpo was crowned. It is our national event. Its called 'Social forestry day'. Tress are planted with a prayers, -prayers that would bring long life to our king and prosperity to our nation. But I am still wondering why the holiday is being removed from our calender.

Long live the King. Pelden Drukpa, Gyelo!

Pay Revision and My Indifference

In one of my earlier post, I remember writing that I am Customs officer by profession. I also wrote myself being a blogger and reader by passion. Didn't I ? I think I did so. But of late, with smuggling rate shooting up, I am getting bogged down with writing various reports, preparing exhibits, gathering evidence and handing over the people to the Police.

Thanks to such events, I have now discovered a new writing skill. Its called writing the "Chronology of Event". Mind you, it is totally different form of writing from what I normally do. My superiors, friend and colleagues,  big and small keep telling me that its a serious business. So I need to be cent percent conscious.

And here is another thing that is keeping me on my knees and toes. -writing meeting minutes. Sometime I get the feeling that I am becoming a professional minute keeper.

Yesterday, to the happiness of all the Bhutanese civil servants, the National Assembly of Bhutan has finally announced the much awaited (upward) pay revision. Its long over due, but the delay is understandable. Our exchequer, according to talk of the town has gone high and dry on resources. Seriously, when our current Government promised pay hike along with the housing allowance, I really did not believe. For once, I thought that our much talked about pay revision is any thing but a grim possibility even with the presence of Buddha and his blessing. With all sorts of austerity measures in place, our present government, who otherwise promised power and change to the people are rumored to have played the "pay revision politics".

Whatever may be, civil servants will earn more starting this July. So Big Thank you to our Government. Temporary and volatile it may be, it is a cause for celebration. Vehicle quota seems gone, but who cares, there is handy Nu. 160,000 coming. DSA has gone up Nu.1000 per day. Mileage is up too. Nu 6 for low ranks and Nu 16 for high ranks looks ridiculous though. But again, who cares. Let me not go further. But as a Revenue and Customs official I am bit nervous and worried. Because this calls for us to collect more from our tax payers. To make affairs such as these sustainable, it calls for Revenue and Customs people to sweat more, shed more tears, take in more criticisms, and face more allegations.  Interestingly, not many seem to know this.

There are few things that I am not able to understand about the recent pay revision. First. For civil servants, revision percentage is descending as we move up. Second. What  is the rationale behind revision for MPs by more than 50%. I am sorry but this reminds me of a Book called "Animal farm" by George Orwell (where it says only Pigs deserves to drink milk, but I am not saying our MPs are pigs)  Third. Why our PM is begging not to take the proposed hike. Fourth. There is no mention of my department and many other uniformed departments when it comes to uniform allowance. I can go on. But we all know, how pleasing everyone is perpetual impossibility in democratic society.

Now here is the reason why I am saying its a temporary and volatile affair. With pay hike, civil servants will even pay more too. As such house owners have already revised their rental charges. With this revision, it gives them the motivation to do it one more time. Shopkeepers and vegetable vendors are seen celebrating. Prices of meat have gone up and so would the prices of other commodities in coming days.

On many occasions, I bought goods on credit because my bank balance ran low.  I did not respond to those miss calls because my voucher ran low too. Some other time, my family just enough to see the month end and not more. Today am happily managing with just one pair of shoes. And happily I tell people that I am somehow managing to keep my pot boiling. I have sailed across a high and rough inflationary tides and I survived. I don't know whether the proposed hike of 21% would actually cover the inflation. But I have now come to agree that living is no easy business but can be made even without the hike in pay. So I think Pay revision is not the solution at this age but our frugality is. Therefore I am bit indifferent to this revision.