OPPOSITION-HELD Selangor upped the ante today when it announced a three-month bonus for civil servants during the tabling of the state’s Budget 2018 today.

Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali said among those who would benefit from the bonus were 6,725 Kafa teachers, 78 Chinese New Village chiefs and 48 Indian community leaders.

He said the payment would be made on December 21.

Last week, the Barisan Nasional government had announced a special one-off payment of RM1,500 for more than 1.6 million civil servants in the country during the tabling of the national Budget 2018.

Prime Minister Najib Razak also announced tax cuts for the middle class, and other special payments for religious teachers and leaders, in what is BN’s last national budget before the next general election.

“I have a good team,” Azmin told reporters after tabling the state budget.

“The state excos, the state representatives who constantly prioritise the development of Selangor. We have witnessed some successes.

“So, it is my duty to acknowledge the government officers in the state by giving a three-month bonus for this year.”

Earlier, during his speech, Azmin called Selangor’s civil service a “paragon of excellence”.

“I am thankful that Selangor has a team of civil servants who are resilient, professional and have integrity.

“The Selangor state secretary (Mohd Amin Ahmad Ahya) and his colleagues have been racing against one another to improve their performance.

“There is no problem of the people being ignored, no file left unchecked, no letter left unanswered and no e-mail left without a reply given. Selangor civil servants are the paragon of excellence.

“With such excellent service, I cannot ignore the contributions that have raised Selangor to become the most developed state in Malaysia, the envy of all, even Putrajaya.”

He also commented on the state’s projected revenues for next year, which is slated to decrease from RM2.55 billion this year to RM2.25 billion.

“It is a responsible projection. We cannot deny that economic activities have dampened compared with several years ago.

“However, due to the savings that we have accomplished, we can fund development projects that are being planned.

“Although the expenditure next year has reduced, it does not mean that we will sideline infrastructure development.”

Azmin said several projects had been completed this year, including the construction of the third Klang bridge.

“So, we don’t have to allocate such a big amount for next year. We pay more attention to welfare, health, education and housing issues, all of which will help sustain Selangor’s economic growth.”

For next year, land premiums are expected to contribute 48.3% of the state’s revenue, land tax (23.3%) and business-related land taxes (5.9%). – November 3, 2017.