Story updated at 2.46pm
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (File Photo)
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced an additional annual salary increment for 2018 effective July 1 for the 1.6 million civil servants.
Najib, who is also the Finance Minister, announced several incentives as well for civil servants and pensioners to the applause of about 10,000 civil servants at the 16th Civil Service Premier Gathering (MAPPA XVI) here.
He said the increment was in appreciation for the service, sacrifice and hard work put in by the civil servants as a loyal friend of the government and would involve a financial implication of RM1.46 billion.
“This means that civil servants will receive an additional annual salary increment on top of the annual salary movement for 2018,” he said as the gathering stood up and applauded upon hearing the good news.
Also present at the event were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Cabinet ministers, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Zainal Rahim Seman and Cuepacs president Datuk Azih Muda.
MAPPA is an annual event where the Prime Minister delivers his message to civil servants in the various services at the federal, state and local government levels as well as government-linked companies.
Najib also announced that the government had agreed to implement promotion by time-based excellence for the second time for the implementer group by shortening the period from 13 years to 10 years from Jan 1 this year.
“This is to provide for better career advancement opportunities to officers in the implementer group for all services, including the uniformed forces,” he said.
He said the implementation would encompass 23,006 officers and involve a financial implication of RM34 million for 2018.
The Prime Minister also said that the government agreed to create another level of promotional grade, namely Grade DG56, for education service officers who have been on Grade 54 for more than five years and had been providing excellent service.
“The creation of Grade DG56 will give opportunities for promotion for 323 officers, and involve a financial implication of RM7.4 million beginning Jan 1, 2019,” he said.
Najib said the government also agreed to extend medical benefits to parents of officers on contract of service, which would benefit the parents of 42,867 officers, effective July 1 this year.
He said that in his opinion, civil servants were not merely government staff as they could be regarded as important and loyal friends of the government.
“What is important is that the government will continue to champion its loyal friends, the civil servants,” he said.
Najib also said that the government, as one which respected the racial and religious diversity in the country, agreed to extend unrecorded leave for a maximum of seven days during the period of service of non-Muslim civil servants to enable them fulfill their respective religious activities, effective January this year.
He said that in Budget 2018, the government had approved a seven-day unrecorded leave for Muslim civil servants to perform the ‘umrah’ (minor Haj).
The Prime Minister said the government had agreed to provide an annual contribution of at least RM3 million to Cuepacs.
In a move to establish a balance in the welfare of civil servants and government pensioners, Najib announced three incentives for the pensioners numbering about 800,000.
He said the government agreed to provide a one-off one per cent increase in pension from July 1 to Dec 31 this year in addition to the annual two per cent increase given on Jan 1.
“For your information, this benefit is for all pensioners in Malaysia, even a certain 93-year-old,” he said drawing laughter from the audience.
To date, he said, the retirement benefits, such as pension, gratuity, and remuneration in lieu of leave, allocated for government pensioners in 2018 amounted to RM24 billion.
Najib said the government was aware of the various activities which government pensioners associations organised to keep pensioners active.
As a means of facilitating these activities, he said, the government agreed to provide special grants of RM1 million to the Government Pensioners Association of Malaysia, the Malaysian Government Pensioners Foundation and the 1Malaysia Government Pensioners Club (KUPEKMAS).
Najib also said that the government would allocate a quota beginning this year for members of the government pensioners associations to perform the Haj.
“The quota will be announced after the government is informed of the total quota allocated for Malaysia by the Saudi Arabian government,” he said. – Bernama