‘Half of allowance first, another half after polls’
JOHOR BARU: Policemen on duty during the general election will be paid half of their allowance before they report to work at their designated centres, says the Deputy Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said another half would be disbursed once they had wrapped up their work.
This will be after the ballot papers have been tabulated and all the centres have closed following the election.
“I’ve received complaints from those on duty during the previous elections that they only received their allowances after a month or two,’’ he said at the opening of the RM76mil Johor Police Contingent extension building here.
Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said policemen were even made to wait for a year before receiving their allowance for working during byelections.
During the election, officers and rank and file policemen will be on duty at polling and counting centres. They will also be entrusted with maintaining public order.
Separately, Dr Ahmad Zahid said the Government would upgrade the state police contingent headquarters nationwide to ensure that the buildings would not be more than 40 years old by 2021.
“Some headquarters were more than 53 years old,” he said.
Dr Ahmad Zahid said the Government would take a new approach in developing or upgrading the headquarters via land swap deals with contractors.
He said the ministry would allocate about RM22mil to the Johor Police Contingent to upgrade the district police headquarters, police stations and lockup rooms.