However, most of them still had some take-home pay left at the end of the month.
"There has never been any disciplinary action taken on those involved in such cases.
"It's only a small percentage of government servants who are involved."
He said the main reason for their debts was excessive expenditure on cars, handphones and housing loans.
"If the husband and wife both work, then it's still okay, but if only one of them work, they will find difficulty making ends meet, especially if they have children," he said, adding that this mostly affected those earning below RM3,000 per month.
Omar said some civil servants got into debt because of unexpected expenses which they could not deal with because they had little or no savings.
"For example, they may have a child entering university.
"They don't need much -- most of the loans are below RM5,000. Maybe between RM2,000 and RM3,000."
Omar said civil servants were ideal targets for lenders because they had a fixed income from the government.
He said one proposal was to allow those earning RM3,000 and below to take vehicle loans, which they are currently not entitled to.
He said the General Office Workers Union (Persatuan Pekerja Am Pejabat) had suggested giving government loans of RM10,000 and below for those in this category.
"This will stop them from seeking loans from other sources."
Omar said in the current climate of materialism and a consumer culture, people wanted things quickly.
"There are those who buy beyond their means. While they can only afford a Kancil, they might buy a Perdana."
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