BANGI: The Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) that will be announced soon is among the best ever implemented by the government, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the SSPA would be announced soon and finalised during Budget 2025.
"I want to ensure that when I announce it (SSPA), all gaps are filled," he said at the golden jubilee celebration of the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) on Saturday (July 13).
Anwar emphasised that despite the government being burdened with a debt of RM1.5 trillion, it remains committed to ensuring that civil servants' salaries are increased by more than 13% starting this December.
"Two sides are criticising the SSPA. Economists say Anwar is impractical and merely seeking popularity; he doesn’t have the funds and yet is going to increase it (salary), involving a substantial sum. The other side (the Opposition) says it cannot be done," he said.
He added that the criticism does not affect the government's views and decisions in implementing the SSPA.
Anwar said that he, as the Finance Minister, along with Public Service director-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz and Public Service Department staff, are working hard and seeking ways to implement the new salary scheme.
On May 1, Anwar announced a salary revision for civil servants involving an increase of more than 13% starting this December, the highest in the country's history.
The salary adjustment will involve an allocation of more than RM10bil. – Bernama
