THE 500-odd civil servants ordered to vacate their government quarters after being transferred to either Putrajaya or Kuala Lumpur have won their fight to quash their eviction notices.

“This was all due to a misinterpretation of the eligibility rule,” Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) president Azih Muda said in Kuching when disclosing the revocation of the notices and withdrawal of penalties imposed on the civil servants by the government.

The penalties varied from as low as RM20 to a whopping RM140,000.

The Property Management Division (PMD) of the Prime Minister’s Department had issued a notice ordering those who had been transferred from Putrajaya to Kuala Lumpur to vacate their Putara quarters as they were deemed to have been transferred out of their work area and therefore ineligible to stay in the quarters.

Those who had retired from the service but were awaiting the completion of their new home under the 1Malaysia Civil Servants Housing (PPA1M) programme in Putrajaya were also affected.

Cuepacs had taken up the civil servants’ case and, this morning, thrashed the issue out with Chief Secretary to the Government Ali Hamsa at a meeting in Putrajaya, Azih said.

Azih said the PMD had misinterpreted the 25km from their workplace eligibility rule to evict the transferred civil servants.

He said that this rule only applied to those buying their own houses using government housing loans.

“It should be used on those applying for housing loans, not for quarters,” he said.

“They are still qualified (to reside in the quarters) as they are still within the 40km radius (of their workplace).

Cuepacs had yesterday urged the government to withdraw the penalties and notices.

Azih said what was disappointing was that those affected were not informed in advance, resulting in some having to pay hefty fines.

The eviction and hefty fines had made some of those affected depressed and stressed.

“I want to thank the government for resolving the issue speedily,” Azih said, adding that Cuepacs had appealed for the penalties and notices to be revoked before January 1. – December 29, 2017.