The prime minister said no decision has been made on the proposal for new appointments to be made under an improved contractual scheme and the Cabinet has yet to discuss the matter.

However, he drew attention to the fact that pension payments have become very big.

“Now we (also) give pension to wives and children (of government pensioners who died). All these have become a burden to the country. So we (government) may not be able to afford it. This is the problem,” he told a media conference at the end of his working visit here today.

Recently Public Service Department director-general Borhan Dolah was reported as saying that beginning next year new appointments in the civil service might be made under an improved contractual scheme instead of the existing permanent and pensionable scheme.

He said the proposal was decided at a special public service reform committee meeting in October 2018 that wanted the service to be minimised in phases and based on need. It is also aimed at reducing the burden of pension bill which is now reaching RM28 billion.