MALAYSIA
The Malaysian Government says it will keep the Critical Service Incentive Allowance for some Public Servants for now, with its status to be decided at the end of the year.
The first Cabinet meeting of the year dismissed as premature the announcement of the elimination of the allowance, which is paid when certain in-demand professionals sign on for the Public Service.
A source described the meeting as “very long, as the Ministers discussed how such a sensitive announcement – which the Cabinet has yet to discuss and decide on – has been leaked and which has caused an uproar”.
“The Cabinet also discussed possible elements within the Government which may be trying to stir things up unnecessarily,” the source said.
In a circular released just before Christmas, the Public Service Department (PSD) announced that the Government would no longer give the Critical Service Incentive Allowance to 33 professions joining the Public Service in 2020.
These jobs include medical officers, pharmacists, dentists, nurses, engineers, air traffic controllers, architects, marine architects, legal officers, agricultural officers, vocational training officers, marine officers and research officers, among others.
In the circular, the PSD noted that current staff – permanent or temporary – would not be affected by the move.
That provoked an uproar until Minister for Youth and Sports, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (pictured) said that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had agreed to put the measure on hold until the Cabinet decided on it.
Kuala Lumpur, 9 January 2020
