Proposed abolition of govt pensions still being studied, says Zuki

 

Zuki Ali said the public services department will implement a new key performance indicator known as Demerit Performance Evaluation to ensure fairer assessments of civil servants.

PUTRAJAYA: Civil servants should not be too quick to criticise the proposed abolition of government pensions as the study on the matter is still ongoing, says Chief Secretary to the Government Zuki Ali.

Delivering his 2024 mandate to civil servants here, Zuki said that as Malaysians’ life expectancy continues to grow, the government might not be able to bear the financial burden associated with payments for civil servants’ pensions – which is expected to reach RM120 billion by 2040.

“When public services director-general (Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz) announced that the government is studying a non-pension scheme, the government was labelled as ‘cruel’,” he said.

“There were also claims that the government is neglecting civil servants’ welfare. The truth is, the country’s financial position does not allow it (continued pension payments),” he said.

Last month, Wan Ahmad Dahlan said the government would implement a contract appointment system for new recruits in the civil sector, with deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi then stating that new hires in the civil service would no longer get pensions.

Instead, Zahid said civil servants would contribute to EPF and the Social Security Organisation (Socso), adding that the shift was part of a broader initiative to phase out traditional pensions.

Zahid said reducing pension payments would alleviate the government’s financial burden.

At present, civil servants are allowed to choose between the pension scheme and contributions to EPF.

Meanwhile, on the public service remuneration system (SSPA) salary revision, Zuki said he had a discussion with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican and Wan Ahmad Dahlan on the matter today.

He said a study on the revision was almost complete and would be presented to the Cabinet shortly.

“This shows that the government prioritises civil servants as there has been no salary increase for 12 years,” he said.

New system to evaluate civil servants

Separately, Zuki announced that the public services department (JPA) will implement a new key performance indicator (KPI) known as Demerit Performance Evaluation (DEEP) to ensure fairer assessments of civil servants.

Stating that current assessments tend to be generalised, Zuki said the DEEP system would be a better indicator of civil servants’ ability and dedication in implementing tasks.

“Usually, we wait until the end before evaluating the accumulated marks.

“But with DEEP, we start by giving (civil servants) 100 points. Then we deduct these points should they fail to implement the task given,” he said, adding that the system would be implemented immediately. - FMT