PM: GOVT TO REVIEW PAY SCHEME IN 2024
We will find a way to roll out new civil service wage scale despite financial woes, says Anwar
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said there is no reason not to review the civil service remuneration scheme this year as it has not been revised in decades.
“The time is right to review the civil service remuneration scheme. Even though (the unity government has been in power) for a year, and there are financial limits and economic problems, we must find a way.
“There is no reason why we cannot expedite its implementation,” he said at the central zone Madani Rakyat Programme closing ceremony yesterday.
On Nov 7, the government pledged to roll out a new civil service salary scheme by the end of this year.
Anwar said the new salary scheme would be discussed at the next cabinet meeting.
In reply to a question during a dialogue at the event, he said the government would establish an urban farming programme to help ease poverty in cities.
He said urban poverty could be resolved through agriculture, adding that the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, the Agriculture Department and other related agencies needed to look into urban farming.
“There must be this shift because there is a need for more targeted agricultural projects in urban and suburban areas.
“So, I hope within a month from today (yesterday), there will be programmes by the relevant ministries regarding a shift from what is being done, to agricultural production,” he said.
Present at the event were Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and other ministers.
Anwar said targeted subsidies to be announced by the government would not burden the people, especially those in the B40 and M40 groups.
“If, let’s say, we increase oil or cooking oil prices ... by RM2, we will not burden consumers. It means the B40 and M40 groups don’t have to pay extra because we’ll credit it to their accounts.
“Based on the amount of oil used every month, so from the Rahmah Cash Aid, we will give RM20 (to the B40 and M40 groups). Don’t worry, the oil price will remain the same for these groups,” he said.
He touched on the performance of the ringgit, saying that regionals currencies, with the exception of the Singapore dollar, had also declined in value against the United States dollar.
He said the Japanese yen and Chinese renminbi faced the same problem as the ringgit.
However, he reiterated that despite the depreciating ringgit, Malaysia’s inflation had decreased to 1.5 per cent and investment had increased by 23 per cent to RM 329.5 billion last year.
“In Asean, Malaysia recorded one of the lowest inflation rates at 1.5 per cent and a 35 per cent decrease in unemployment.
“Domestic and foreign investments are at their highest in Malaysia’s history,” he said.
He said he had directed government agencies and ministries to prepare monthly reports on the progress of projects.
“Otherwise, when we announce projects but their launch happens only before elections, I see no sincerity.
“So, I hope, this culture (of monthly reports) ... can be implemented so that we can monitor (projects) effectively,” he said.
The prime minister cited floodmitigation work as an example of projects that took a long time to complete.
He said that without monthly monitoring, these projects could stall.
“The same goes for small projects under the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry related to the quality and productivity of rice, land status and acid levels.
“At present, reports like this are provided only when ministers visit, or we have to wait for reports every six months,” he said.
He said the lack of monthly reports resulted in projects remaining unresolved for decades.
“There is one case regarding land for the construction of a clinic. With monitoring, it was discovered that the government took land 40 years ago for the clinic’s construction but until now, it has not been developed.
“Some cases do have reasonable excuses, such as the land being peat soil unsuitable for development or initial allocations being insufficient.
“If there is monthly monitoring, then we do not have to wait 40 years, causing dissatisfaction among the people,” he said.