MALAYSIA:::Budget 2015: Are civil service bonuses justified?

The bonus for civil servants announced in the annual Malaysian federal budget no doubt brings cheer to the public sector, but raises questions on its validity and sustainability amid concerns that the government machinery needs to be trimmed.

If bonuses are a reward for good work, has the civil service on the whole done a good enough job? Could not more public funds be diverted to infrastructure, technology and research? And is the Malaysian civil service of 1.5 million workers, really as bloated as it is perceived to be?

In interviews with an economist, civil servants and those who have left the service, The Malaysian Insider discovered that the more important question was not how much, but which areas to trim, and also whether people will be willing to bear the consequences of a leaner public sector.

MALAYSIA:::Encourage firms to provide childcare, says MTUC

Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-general, N. Gopal Kishnam, says the government should maintain incentives for childcare centres in workplaces in the coming budget.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has urged the government to continue encouraging private companies to set up childcare centres or nursery at their workplace.

Its secretary-general, N. Gopal Kishnam, said the government should maintain the incentives that were pledged in Budget 2013, including a RM10,000 grant and 10% tax deduction.

"Admittedly, the response has not been consistent but in the long run, it will enable female employees to continue working rather than resign after getting married and having children," he said today.