Referring to 2020 as a unique year, the union federation president Azih Muda said civil servants were hoping for a special surprise to be unveiled by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng when he tables the budget on Oct 11.

“In whatever situation, we must recognise the contributions of civil servants towards the nation’s continued stability, security and prosperity,” he said. He expressed confidence in the wisdom of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Lim on the matter of the bonus.

Azih was speaking to reporters after officiating at the Penang Cuepacs conference of representatives here.

He also called on the government to study salaries and the Malaysian retirement system, which has not been reviewed for the past 17 years.

Another request voiced was the retention of the 21 teacher training institutes and 33 health ministry training institutes, which are reportedly due to be closed.