JPA denies withholding civil servants' allowance

The Public Service Department (JPA) today denied withholding the allowances of civil servants following the current economic situation faced in the country.

JPA director-general Mohamad Zabidi Zainal said so far, the government had never discussed the issue of withdrawing allowances - including wage cuts and abolishing promotion of civil servants.

"Civil servants need not worry because the news is not true. In the current economic situation, it is unlikely the government will again burden the people," he said after the Public Sector Enforcement gathering at the CIDB Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.

He was responding to a news clipping taken from an old Utusan Malaysia report dated Jan 7, 1998 titled 'Government cuts allowance of 80,000 civil servants and professional groups involved' that went viral in the social media recently.

Meanwhile, asked on the reported temporary suspension of JPA scholarships, Mohamad Zabidi declined to comment and said to leave the matter to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"It will be announced tomorrow. We await the prime minister's announcement (tomorrow). He will announce it together with the Budget 2016 recalibration," he said.

Early last month, Najib announced that a readjustment on the Budget 2016 will be made following uncertainty in the global economic scenario and falling crude oil prices.

- Bernama