KUALA LUMPUR: There are no deductions or reductions in the Bayaran Insentif Wilayah (BIW) payments to federal civil servants based in Sabah or Sarawak, says Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) said this is reflected through the Public Service Circular No. 1 of 2024 on the implementation of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA).
Under the SSPA, the government had agreed to set a fixed-rate for existing BIW recipients and a new rate for new and eligible officers, he added.
Mustapha said that based on the “no less favourable” principle, existing officers who were already receiving the BIW before the implementation of the SSPA on Nov 30, 2024, will continue to receive the allowance at the same rate.
“For existing officers receiving the BIW at a rate lower than the new rate introduced under the SSPA, they will receive the higher rate as stipulated under the new system,” he said in a written reply.
He was responding to Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen who asked about the government’s position when it comes to reducing the BIW for doctors and pharmacists stationed in Sabah and Sarawak.
Mustapha said that the rate received as of Nov 30, 2024, would continue as long as officers met the eligibility requirements and that there was no reason to reduce the BIW rate compared to the previous year.
Under the SSPA, the take-home pay of officers takes into account increases in the cost of living and the government’s fiscal capacity.
