KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 6): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday urged all civil servants to provide far better service to the people, in line with the salary adjustment to be announced by the government.

Emphasising this point at the launch of the Malaysia Madani Civil Servants' Housing programme in Bandar Sri Permaisuri here, Anwar said the method and details of the salary adjustment will be announced, with some details to be revealed this month.

“Although there are dissenting voices that never understand gratitude and never accept reality, believe me, I will announce it later, partly in August (this year) and fully, as I promised, in October in the national Budget. And it will be implemented starting Dec 1.

“What is the scheme for civil servants? It is the highest salary increase in the nation’s history since independence, for two reasons: first, the country is developing but there has been no comprehensive salary review for 12 years, and second, to recognise their role,” he said.

Also present were Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, Public Service director-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Bandar Tun Razak Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The mechanism for adjusting civil servants’ salaries will be announced by Anwar during the 19th Civil Service Premier Assembly (Mappa) on Aug 16 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

The prime minister also said that civil servants need to work together with the government in developing the country.

“In this Madani nation, we must ensure a sustainable economy, and Alhamdulillah, as reported, the strength of the ringgit, which has been an issue for us, has returned with confidence. The performance of the ringgit today is the best compared to the past 14 years.

“What is the basis for this? Certainly, it is because of stable politics, clear policies, dedicated civil servants, and private sector officers ... all these play a role in achieving it,” he said. 

On Aug 2, the ringgit was at 4.49 against the US dollar at the close.

It increased by 1.6% against the US dollar, after recording a 10-day consecutive rise, the best performance since 2010.

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