PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said there will be a proposal to improve the civil service salary scheme in stages based on the country’s economic capabilities. 

Anwar, who is also finance minister, said this will be discussed in a meeting with Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali and Public Service Department director-general Zulkapli Mohamad before the state elections on August 12. 

“The salaries and allowances of civil servants are still low. I have to acknowledge that after 10 years there has not been a committee chaired by the prime minister to review the scheme.

“(We will look into) our financial capabilities on how we can improve and increase (civil servants’ salaries),” he said at the Cakna Madani programme with enforcement agencies in Putrajaya today. 

On July 7, Anwar said the decision to review the salary scheme was made due to the fact that the last wage adjustment was in 2013. 

The prime minister assured that the government will be fair and reasonable to civil servants when reviewing the scheme.

Anwar said the perception that Malaysia has a bloated civil service needs to be corrected, adding that those figures should not be pooled with enforcement staff.

“In Malaysia, the civil service (total personnel) include police, army and others… In some countries, they don’t. We have to correct this from now,” he said.

Anwar also said a delegation from Hong Kong will be visiting the country next week, with potential for huge investments in Malaysia on the cards. – Bernama, July 13, 2023.