PUTRAJAYA, July 10 (Bernama) — Cuepacs representatives met with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday, and the discussions covered civil servants, the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).
Cuepacs was represented by its president, Azih Muda; deputy president I Zainal Ismail; deputy president II Mohd Shaman Jaes and secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng at the meeting held at the office of the deputy prime minister here.
Azih said Cuepacs raised several matters at the meeting, among them problems associated with the purchase of houses by civil servants.
He said Cuepacs informed the government that civil servants who had been working for between one and 10 years could not afford to buy houses because of their high cost.
“Even some civil servants who have worked for more than 10 years are unable to purchase houses because they are too costly. We hope that the government can exercise control over the prices of houses and ensure that they can be lower so that more can afford to buy them,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Azih said Cuepacs also asked the government to consider a salary revision for civil servants, particularly those in the Support Group so that they did not fall below the poverty line.
“About 45 per cent of civil servants fall into the vulnerable group after buying a car, a house and so on with the income they draw. We have asked the government to revisit this,” he said.
Azih said Cuepacs hoped that the government would not withdraw the housing allowance of civil servants who live in government quarters because it would help them meet the high cost of living.
He also said that Cuepacs would go down to the ground to explain the proposed GST to civil servants.
— BERNAMA
