By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Sept 26 — Adjustments and improvements to the Public Service Remuneration Scheme strategically correspond with the goals of the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) and the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to ensure the people are provided with a more efficient and effective delivery of services.
Selangor State Secretary Dato’ Haris Kasim said the key assessment in reviewing of the scheme focuses on productivity, sustainability and adaptation within the public service.
“I hope that questions and suggestions (on the review) will not only revolve around issues of benefits and emoluments but also include matters related to organisational design structures, with a strong emphasis on service delivery.
“This is crucial because the demands and requests from our customers today revolve around the efficiency, efficacy, and modernisation of our services. To achieve this, the civil service must be committed and cooperative and provide input to JPA (Public Service Department) to develop a solid service model,” he said during the engagement session with Selangor state civil servants for the review of the Public Service Remuneration Scheme at the Selangor State Secretariat building, here, today.
Haris, however, stated that concerns relating to the need for increased disposable income to cope with the rising cost of living, such as the living cost allowance for placements in remote areas, would certainly be reviewed.
“This is necessary to implement the placement and work-rotation processes without affecting the welfare or productivity of the officers,” he said.
The dialogue session at the state administration building in Shah Alam is part of a nationwide effort by JPA and witnessed the participation of around 1,000 state civil servants.
The event is in line with the federal administration’s plan, unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to update the civil service remuneration structure, especially in view of the current socioeconomic challenges and the government’s fiscal stability.
Meanwhile, Public Services (Operations) deputy director-general Datuk Anesee Ibrahim, who also acknowledged the repeated calls by civil servants to raise their overall income, stressed that the government would need to review the matter in light of productivity levels within the public service.
“If you ask any civil servants what we want, of course, we want a salary increase and higher allowances; naturally, we’d like our income to grow.
“However, if we think rationally, there’s no economic system that can grant an increment in emoluments without also seeing an improvement in productivity.
“The same principle applies to the private sector, for instance, in factories. A factory cannot offer increased emoluments without a corresponding increase in productivity.
“The key element we need to focus on is productivity. If we ask our customers, especially in the local councils, and review their feedback, what do they say? It’s often slow, and that’s primarily due to the bureaucracy they have to navigate. However, we value your input to help us enhance our system,” he said.
In an effort to gather feedback, JPA initiated a dedicated webpage for the sharing of views from government servants. The platform has collected approximately 68,000 ideas from 30,000 civil servants since its launch in July to August 22.
While the civil service presently operates under the 2002-introduced Malaysian Remuneration Scheme (SSM), the slated replacement in 2012 by the Public Service New Remuneration Scheme (SBPA) was shelved.
The forthcoming scheme, though yet to be named, is scheduled for rollout by January 2025.
