By Ko Yay Chan
Most government employees have spent their time in employment until they reach the retirement age of 60. They also have different expressions like pride, happiness, and joy while serving the country and people’s responsibilities and promoting their respective fields. They might face their ups and downs as well.
Social status of government staff
The government staff have unforgettable happenings throughout their lives, like their efforts in their working fields and other challenges to change their lives step by step. They are such a force for achievements. They are also their social status. If I say from my political point of view, the staff remain normal no matter how the governance system changes. That is due to the fact that the civil servants are not associated with the political parties.
Suppose they are a member associated with party politics. In that case, they might face some actions like they have to sacrifice their duties or are retired or suspended from their duties. I also heard such cases in the 1988 uprising. Now, Myanmar has a change in political culture. Those who do not accept the changes stage a strike. Now, the protest has been occurring for more than four weeks. Some demonstrators protest in line with the disciplines, but some without them.
All you have noticed today’s protest is different from the old ones. Some of the political activists from local and foreign instruct the strategies to destroy the government’s mechanism and community peace and tranquillity online. They use the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which urges the staff not to go to their work. And another is the “Than Bone Tee” (banging tin materials for noise barrage) campaign. Therefore, those who want democracy can think about whether such activities conform to democratic norms.
Democracy also means freedom of expression. Some government servants join the protests with their own desires or feelings, and we can understand their activities. However, it can be supposed that they are involved in politics. We do not want to blame the freedom of a person. But there are only a few numbers of government staff who have taken to the street to protest. Some government staff do not participate in the protests, and some keep doing their work as usual.
We should appreciate the efforts of government servants serving their duties for the people despite the incitements, riots, pressures and difficulties during this period. Those far away from their workplace are also requested to return to their duties in the interests of the country and people, without prioritizing their personal feelings.
But the slang “Don’t go office” is such a threat or force for the government staff who serve public services, and they should not do such things.
Urging healthcare workers not to do their duties is such a sorrowful manner. All walks of life, especially families with ordinary incomes and the grassroots, only rely on public hospitals.
Healthcare services
Committing incitement intentionally to the healthcare workers makes more hardships for the poor people. Some of the staff protesting on the streets are doing so due to their emotions. Most of them are young. Some of them do so as they could not help denying and, they just follow others. It affects the old, young and well-experienced government staff. The young government employees commit incitement or use force or threaten the senior staff are sorrowful manners.
Civil services are the organizations to serve and fulfil the needs of the people. Some organizations serve people’s needs daily no matter what the country faces different situations, for examples, hospitals, fire brigade, security and news agencies. If these operations fail, the people are the first ones to suffer. Therefore, although the government staff take part in the protest, it is needed not to affect people’s interests.
Currently, some unscrupulous persons are committing negative manners making the government servants dare not enter their worksites, not to open the industries. It can be said these cases occur due to the destructive political elements rather than the wishes of government staff. These doings become crimes, according to the Civil Service Personnel Law and Rules.
According to the democracy system, everybody has rights — the freedom of expression and freedom of speech. But, they should not affect others. One must allow others for argument freely and must not prevent or break the rights of others. That is the principle of ‘Agree to disagreement’. However, some people violate the law by committing incitement online or riots to the government staff and those who want to stay peacefully. They can protest in line with the disciplines according to the democratic system. But if they violate the disciplines, democracy can abolish.
Democracy also means freedom of expression. Some government servants join the protests with their own desires or feelings, and we can understand their activities. However, it can be supposed that they are involved in politics. We do not want to blame the freedom of a person.
We should appreciate the efforts of government servants serving their duties for the people despite the incitements, riots, pressures and difficulties during this period. Those far away from their workplace are also requested to return to their duties in the interests of the country and people, without prioritizing their personal feelings.
It is now seen that arrangements are underway to take serious action against those who threaten or break others’ rights among the civil service personnel or the public. Therefore, such forces and threats do not conform to the law and go against their own rights and freedoms.
Therefore, if you love democracy, you should appreciate freedom of expression. It needs not to affect the desires and lives of other people. It also should be a democracy that brings interests and prosperities for the country and people.
Translated
