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PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) criticized the government’s decision to grant special Aidilfitri payments to public officials, saying that private sector workers affected by the Covid-19 crisis deserve more help.
MEF said those in the private sector have suffered wage cuts, subsidy cuts or had to go on vacation without pay during the movement control order (MCO).
“Such a special aid payment should not be made as government officials literally” suffered “nothing as their salaries and allowances remained intact during the MCO and the conditional MCO,” MEF Executive Director Shamsuddin Bardan told FMT.
He said small merchants and freelancers have lost their source of income during the partial shutdown.
The special payment for public officials includes permanent, temporary and contract appointments, as well as those with full pay, half pay and unpaid leave.
Previously, the head of the hypermarket chain, Ameer Ali Mydin, asked that public officials also share the economic burden of the financial impact of the pandemic.
Ameer, the managing director of Mydin, said it was sensible that public officials’ pay should also be reduced, adding that the savings could go toward helping the poor most affected by the MCO.
“Anyone earning more than RM3,000 should receive a pay cut,” Ameer told FMT in comments that sparked outrage among public officials on social media.
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