SHAH ALAM - Details regarding the salary increase for civil servants need to be presented in the 2025 Budget as it is a procedural requirement before it can be implemented, despite being announced earlier.
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) political analyst and deputy vice-chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) associate professor Dr Mohd Izani Mohd Zain said that from a political perspective, the early announcement would give an advantage to the government.
"It's a normal process because it needs to go through a budget presentation for approval before it can be implemented, especially since this implementation needs to be carefully scrutinised to be truly effective.
"From a political perspective, it gives an advantage to the government because the people are waiting for it and have confidence, and this group will also provide support to ensure its implementation," he told Sinar.
On Wednesday, Anwar announced a salary increase for civil servants of over 13 per cent starting from December, one of the highest and best in the country's history, involving an allocation of over RM10 billion.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) political and social media analyst associate professor Dr Sara Chinnasamy said that the salary increase is expected to be implemented to not let the government collapse until the upcoming general election.
She said that as long as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, does not allow the request for the dissolution of Parliament, civil servants can still hope for its implementation.
"I think the announcement of this salary increase is timely. This is because many times announcements or proposals have been made before this but we still cannot connect with the implementation of this matter.
"Besides, it is also the best step and suitable for the current situation where there is an increase in the cost of goods and the cost of living.
"This proposal for an increase has also been raised for a long time. I think this time it can really be implemented because the government is expected not to collapse as it is not at the end of its tenure like the previous government," she said.