KUALA LUMPUR – The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) has called for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s new government to maintain all initiatives for civil servants that had been announced by the previous government.
Its president Datuk Adnan Mat said the initiatives announced by Anwar’s predecessor Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on August 30 and the tabling of Budget 2023 on November 7 were what the government as an employer promised civil servants.
“It is not appropriate for it to be withdrawn just because of a change of government. It must be implemented according to the previously announced date.
“Cuepacs does not want the same thing to happen in 2018 when the initiatives promised by the government were not fulfilled when there was a change of government in the 14th general election (GE14),” he said in a statement today.
The initiatives announced for civil servants by the previous government include a special RM100 addition to the annual salary increment from next January, RM700 special financial assistance for 2023 in January, RM350 financial assistance for retirees, and RM600 special Aidilfitri assistance for March next year.
On the disappointment of civil servants in 2018, Adnan said that it should not have happened because as an employer, the government could not withdraw its initiatives after all the sacrifices civil servants made in carrying out their responsibilities as the country’s administrative machinery.
In 2018 before GE14, the Barisan Nasional government announced a salary increase equivalent to a year’s annual salary increase for all civil servants; the second time-based promotion was reduced to 10 years; and the addition of Grade DG 56 for teachers – but these pledges were not implemented following the change of the federal government.
Cuepacs also expressed confidence that all MPs would support the prime minister during the tabling of the mini budget on December 19.
Anwar took the oath of office as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister in front of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah last Thursday after the general election results produced a hung Parliament. – Bernama, November 26, 2022
