Civil servants wish for bonus

KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants are hoping for bonus payment from the government before Hari Raya Aidilfitri although the 2010 Budget will only be tabled on Oct 23.

Some civil servants are already appealing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak through his 1Malaysia website for the government to pay a bonus.

Website visitor Mayau Sarikei from Sarawak said each year, he and his wife would need to spend a bit more in preparation for Aidilfitri.

"However, this time my wife and I will have to cut down on our Raya expenditure as the 2010 Budget will only be tabled in October.

"This means, the government may not be able to make a bonus allocation for civil servants. Therefore, I hope the prime minister will give us Raya bonus."

His appeal was supported by several individuals who only referred to themselves as penjawat awam (civil servants), saying that the sudden increase in the price of daily essentials was a worrying burden for them.

One of them said he hoped that Najib, who is also finance minister, would give a bonus of at least RM1,000 to each civil servant, to be paid in two instalments -- before Raya and in mid-December.

Another website visitor, Jayiddin Simon, also suggested that the driving licence fee be abolished. -- Bernama