The President of Malaysia’s powerful public sector union says the country’s Government employees should not be exempt from cash assistance simply because they were not laid off or suffered a pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adnan Mat (pictured), who heads the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services Malaysia (Cuepacs) said many families of Public Servants had been affected by the pandemic.
“It must be remembered that not all spouses of Civil Servants are in the Civil Service,” Mr Adnan said.
“Some are full-time housewives, hawkers or employed in the private sector whose income may have been affected,” he said.
Mr Adnan said the loan instalments taken by Government workers from the Public Sector Home Financing Board still had to be paid off as usual even if their spouses had been retrenched, could not conduct their businesses or had had their income affected.
“If the household income is RM4,000 ($A1,352) or less, never mind if they are in the Civil Service or not, that household is eligible for cash relief,” he said.
“If the individual earns RM2,000 ($A676) or less, they are eligible. It does not matter if they are working with the Civil Service or the private sector.”
Mr Adnan was commenting on the views expressed by financial advisor, Rohani Mohd Shahir who stated that Public Servants should not be eligible for cash aid as they were not laid off or had their pay cut during the pandemic.
“Only those whose pay had been cut or have been retrenched should receive cash relief,” Ms Rohani said.
Kuala Lumpur, 2 November 2020
