A RM1.3bil election carrot – but will civil servants bite?

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: Political analysts say the extra perks for civil servants in next year’s national budget indicate that the government is already thinking about their votes at the next general election.

But the analysts are sceptical about whether civil servants will be swayed.

The new perks announced yesterday include five additional days of unrecorded leave, and RM700 in once-off cash aid for active public servants and RM350 for retirees, at a total cost of RM1.3 billion to the government.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said that while the budget clearly had the next general election in mind, possibly early next year, he doubted it would be enough to sway the “independent-minded” civil servants of today.

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