Year-end bonus brings joy to civil servants

GEORGE TOWN: Civil servants are grateful for their year-end bonus and some are already making plans on how to utilise the extra money.

Zyen Faiezane Dullie Marie, 30, who has worked with the state government for the past three years, has made a special plan.

“I am going back to see my parents in Kota Kinabalu. It has been almost two years. I could not make the trip due to the pandemic.

“I miss them a lot,” said the special officer to a state executive councillor.

The bonus that she got would be used to pay for the flight ticket to Sabah.

She also plans to treat her parents to a nice dinner.

Her colleague Nurhidayah Che Rose, 30, has decided to spend some of her year-end bonus to buy gold.

“It is important to make some investment and with the extra income from the year-end bonus, I can invest more,” she said.

She also plans to use part of the bonus on herself and her family.

Mashni Nilamani, 24, who is working in the same office, said the bonus would be used for a holiday to Sarawak next month.

“We have been planning this family trip for quite a while, but due to the travel restrictions, all our trips have been put on hold.”

Kamal Nordin, 40, who works with a federal agency in Penang, said he would be using the year-end bonus for his children’s school preparation next year.

“Although it is not much, I am grateful that the government can still provide us with special aid,” he said.

Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said during October’s tabling of Budget 2022 that some 1.3 million civil servants would receive RM700 in special aid as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.