Community leaders, elected reps not included in proposed pay rise for Sarawak civil service

Dr Sim speaking to reporters after attending the flag-raising ceremony at Miri City Hall in Marina Park this morning (May 20, 2024).

By Tedong Rantayy

MIRI, May 20: The pay rise being considered by the Sarawak government for Sarawak civil servants does not include community leaders (‘Ketua Masyarakat’ and ‘Ketua Kaum’ or KMKK) leaders and elected representatives.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said they are not part of the civil service and hence, are not included in the proposed pay rise.

He said this today in Miri after attending the Miri City Council flag-rise ceremony in conjunction with the city’s 19th anniversary.

On May 15, Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) that the revision of Sarawak civil servants’ salaries will be announced following the release of salary adjustment details by the federal government which is expected to be known only in the year-end national budget.

He gave assurance that the Sarawak government will also revise the salaries of its civil servants following the announcement by Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 1 of a more than 13 per cent pay raise for federal civil servants.

“The Premier is asking for these details because we don’t want our civil service pay to fall below the federal level. We are looking at the value of the pay rise for our State civil service to be better than that of the federal civil service,” Dr Sim stated.

Abang Johari is keen to ensure that Sarawak’s pay adjustments align appropriately with federal increments, added Dr Sim who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government.

“Premier Abang Johari initially wanted to announce the pay rise soon but decided to wait for the federal details. We don’t want to offer a lower increase than the federal government, nor do we want to go too high and cause embarrassment (to the federal government if Sarawak announced much higher than federal),” Dr Sim explained.

“The Premier has been asking for the details for some time, but no one has been able to provide them. Officially, they (the federal government) said to wait until the Budget.”

Also present were Dr Sim’s two Deputy Ministers for Public Health, Housing and Local Government I, Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil and Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee; Miri Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang, Deputy Mayor Cr Ariffin Mohamad and Acting City Secretary Abdul Rahman Taupek. — DayakDaily