Make Reforms Work for Civil Servants, HR Management Told

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, September 15, 2026

The Public Service Department has called for enhanced human resource management to prevent errors affecting civil servants’ pensions and benefits, emphasizing the need to keep pace with reforms. This focus aims to ensure fair treatment and improved salaries for civil servants while maintaining government fiscal responsibility amid ongoing public sector changes.

PUTRAJAYA — The Public Service Department (JPA) has urged continuous improvements in human resource management within the civil service to prevent errors that could negatively impact civil servants, particularly regarding their pensions and benefits. Tan Sri Dr Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, the department’s director-general, highlighted the need for HR systems to keep pace with ongoing reforms and ensure past mistakes are not repeated.

Speaking at the Public Sector Human Resource Management Conference held yesterday, Wan Ahmad Dahlan cited a recent case involving a long-serving officer from the Kelantan State Forestry Department who nearly faced a reduced pension due to an administrative oversight. The officer had failed to update his personnel records, placing his retirement benefits at risk. “We do not want public servants who have devoted many years of service to ultimately be denied the welfare and benefits they should receive when they retire or end their service,” he said.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan emphasized that the quality of the public service system should be judged by its ability to avoid recurring errors, particularly in areas such as appointments, promotions, salary adjustments, disciplinary actions, and performance management. He also stressed the importance of ensuring that government reforms deliver tangible benefits to the public, saying, “Rhetoric is no longer sufficient. We need to determine how these reforms are to be implemented, measured and held accountable at every level.”

Highlighting Malaysia’s improved standing in the 2026 World Competitiveness Ranking, Wan Ahmad Dahlan suggested this progress should serve as a new benchmark for public sector performance. He also discussed salary adjustments under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), which aims to raise wages for about two-thirds of civil servants earning below RM5,000 per month. While acknowledging ongoing concerns about income adequacy, he noted that SSPA measures have already been implemented to increase salaries.

“When we talk about insufficient income, there will never be a point at which everyone says, ‘I have enough,’” Wan Ahmad Dahlan remarked. However, he pointed out that, based on current salaries, civil servants generally are not below the poverty line. “What remains is how individual public servants manage their expenditure,” he added. The JPA is reportedly exploring additional strategies to further improve income levels among civil servants without compromising the government’s fiscal capacity.

The statements reflect an effort to balance the need for fair compensation and benefits for civil servants with financial prudence, while reinforcing the importance of effective human resource management in the ongoing public sector reforms.

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