KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The provision of the Early Incentive Payment of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) Study amounting to RM2,000 to all civil servants is expected to help alleviate their burden, especially in preparation for the 2024 schooling session which begins in March.
Several civil servants met by Bernama today said this showed that the government was aware of the needs of the people during tough economic times and was trying to find a solution to help them.
Politeknik Nilai lecturer Syafawati Noorhafizah Adnan Adil, 38, said she did not expect the government to provide a high incentive for civil servants in this Budget.
“It just so happens that the school session opens next year, Ramadan and Hari Raya are also not far away and it does require a lot of money to make all the preparations… with the challenging economic situation at the moment, for me, a mother with four schoolgoing children, the expenses are quite high.
“Normally, preparing for a child’s upcoming schooling session such as getting uniforms, stationery, books and other equipment is around RM300 to RM400, that does not include school fees and so on,” she said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when tabling the Malaysia MADANI Budget 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday announced the granting of SSPA Study Early Incentive Payments amounting to RM2,000 to all civil servants in grade 56 and below, including those appointed on contract.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said an incentive payment of RM1,000 would also be given to all in the Jawatan Utama Sektor Awam (Jusa) grade involving all parties including uniformed bodies, as well as extended to government retirees including pensionable and non-pensionable veterans.
Meanwhile, an official at a government agency, Siti Zulaika Hashim, 33, said the relatively high amount of incentive payments this time clearly showed the government’s concern for the people.
“I was also a bit worried when I saw next year’s schooling session not too far from Ramadan and Hari Raya, because we know expenses will also increase at the time.
“So I feel the incentive given is right on time and I will use it to cover the expenses of my two children who will go to school… usually I would need about RM1000-1200 for the new schooling session,” she said.
Meanwhile, a government pensioner, Maimun Shamsuddin, 73, said she had never received such a high rate of incentive before, and this showed that the government really appreciated the government pensioners who had contributed during their time in service.
Maimun, who was previously the deputy director-general of the women’s development department at the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development and retired in 2006, said the assistance provided some relief, especially for retirees from the B40 group.
“We have never received this much incentive before, if there were any before, maybe around RM250 to RM300, so in terms of the amount we are indeed very grateful, Alhamdulillah.
“We know that (prices of) things are going up a lot these days, a lot of money is needed to make ends meet… like me, the children are all grown up and there is no need to go out shopping for children’s school and so on, so we will indeed use it to buy daily necessities, ” she said.
