Govt working on slight salary raise for civil servants - PM

 

The government is seeking to raise the salaries of civil servants slightly through the second Madani Budget that is to be tabled in Parliament this October, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

He said this is a temporary measure until a comprehensive study on the salary and retirement scheme for civil servants is completed, which is expected next year.

“While waiting for the study to be completed next year, I will try to increase the salary slightly through the Madani Budget this October,” he said in his speech at the opening of the Geopark Discovery Centre in Langkawi today.

Anwar said it has been the government's policy to review the salary scheme for civil servants every 10 years and this should have been done two years ago.

However, the Prime Minister said the previous government did not look into the matter and a meeting to discuss the issue was not even held.

"They have not held a meeting when I checked with the public service department (PSD).

“The salary scheme for civil servants is supposed to be reviewed every 10 years and the increment will depend on the government’s financial situation,” he said.

Increment

The prime minister added that a slight increment should be given due to inflation.

Anwar said the matter was looked into after a meeting with the Chief Secretary of the government (KSN), the Treasury secretary-general, and the PSD.

"We re-examined the files and as the finance minister, I said we must decide on giving salary increments to civil servants, including the police, military personnel as well as Langkawi development authority staff," he said.

On July 13, the Prime Minister said there has been a proposal to improve the civil service salary scheme in stages based on the country's economic capabilities. This would be discussed in a meeting with the KSN Mohd Zuki Ali and PSD chief Zulkapli Mohamed.

Meanwhile, Anwar said the government has also agreed to provide an overseas allowance for civil servants working in Langkawi as enjoyed by those from Sabah and Sarawak working in the peninsula (regional incentive payment).

"There was also a proposal to provide a sea ambulance to cater to the people in Pulau Tuba but I don’t think this is not the right time for it (because of the state election)," he said.

Top tourist destination

On Langkawi, Anwar said to develop the resort island rapidly, the government departments and government link investment companies must be well-coordinated in implementing certain programmes.

"Big government companies like TNB, Khazanah must pay attention and have a plan to elevate Langkawi's position as a top tourist destination," he said.

As for private company employees in the country, Anwar said the government is in the final stages of its study to provide a financial allocation to help raise workers' wages in the sector.

- Bernama