Najib suggests 30pct civil servants work from home to lessen traffic

 

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak suggested that traffic congestion can be reduced if the government and employers allows 20 to 30 percent of their employees to work from home.

He said this would also reduce fuel subsidies borne by the government.

In a statement, he said the work from home approach was effective when 70 percent of civil servants worked from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Among the issues currently faced by the country is traffic congestions that are really bad, and the government is bearing the cost of rising petrol subsidies that are expected to exceed RM30 billion this year.

“During the pandemic, many were asked to work from home and it proved that this method was suitable for various types of jobs.

“As many as 70 percent of workers were told by the government to work from home during this period. So, I think it would not be difficult for employers and the government to again encourage and allow for 20 to 30 percent of workers to work from home,” he said.

Najib said this would also reduce traffic and save on petrol and diesel subsidies by 20 to 30 percent.

“With this measure, 20 to 30 percent of traffic congestion can be alleviated and the government will also save 20 to 30 percent on petrol and diesel subsidy costs - a saving of more than RM9 billion for this year.

"At the same time, public transport projects that were postponed and delayed by the former Pakatan Harapan government need to be expedited and completed as soon as possible," he said.

On May 24, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said it would conduct a detailed study on measures to reduce traffic congestion in the federal capital.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Jalaluddin Alias said attention would be given to certain aspects such as traffic light coordination and parking systems that disrupt traffic flow.

Prior to that, it was reported that traffic congestion in the federal capital is now worse than before the pandemic because workers have returned to the office and schooling is also being conducted face-to-face. - Mkini