KAJANG: Putrajaya will review cases in which some civil servants have waited up to eight years for a promotion, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the matter would be discussed at the next meeting with Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, with instructions already issued to expedite long-delayed promotions.
This follows feedback from civil servants through an engagement session with the Chief Secretary and the Public Service Department (PSD).
"Yes, salaries have increased, but I have also heard complaints that officers in certain grades have to wait as long as eight years for a promotion.
"I asked the Chief Secretary about this, and he told me it would be reviewed at the next meeting.
"Cases where promotions are taking far too long must be expedited, and that is the instruction given," he said during a meet-and-greet session with the Universiti Islam Selangor community here on Monday (July 20).
Anwar said the review was part of the government's broader efforts to improve civil servants' welfare beyond increasing their salaries.
He said that after taking office, the Madani Government found that housing for civil servants, teachers, members of the Armed Forces and the police was in poor condition, prompting gradual improvements through allocations beginning with Budget 2023.
The Finance Minister also said he had insisted on a higher salary increase for civil servants than what the PSD initially proposed, despite concerns over the country's fiscal constraints and the inherited debt burden.
"When they submitted their proposal, I told them I could not accept it.
"They thought I was rejecting it altogether, but I could not accept it then because I felt the proposed increase was not high enough.
"In the end, I insisted on a larger pay rise," he said.
Anwar said the government could not continue asking civil servants to work harder, be more disciplined and accept criticism when mistakes were made if it neglected their welfare.
