Budget 2009: Civil servants unhappy with budget, says Cuepacs

KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants feel let down by the newly unveiled budget,

They felt that the bonus of one month's salary announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday fell short of what the public sector expected.

Cuepacs deputy president Husain Mohd Yasin said civil servants were expecting to receive a bonus of 11/2 months' salary.

He added that Cuepacs was disappointed because there was no increase in the cost of living allowance (Cola) or the housing allowance for civil servants.

Husain also said the annual free return airfares between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak only benefited those who were from the two states.
Workers in Peninsular Malaysia, he said, should also be given the same privilege, as they too had homes they wanted to go back to.

On the the extension of housing loans to 30 years, he said the pressing issue was not how long the loan was for, but what kind of interest rates were charged.

"All it means is that we will be paying the same interest rates for a longer period, which doesn't mean all that much to us.

"We hoped for a reduction of at least one per cent on the four per cent interest we are paying now," he added.

Husain said on the whole, the 2009 budget was "a disappointing one".