PSD’s retire at 60 proposal awaiting Cabinet nod

By M. KRISHNAMOORTHY

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Service Department (PSD) has recommended to the Cabinet that the retirement age for civil servants be increased from 56 to 60.

PSD director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam said senior officials had deliberated on the extension for several years and forwarded its proposal to the Government recently.

“Conditions and the mechanism for the extension would be finalised after approval from the Cabinet,” he said yesterday.

Early this year, the Prime Minister said the Government would study the proposal by the Association of Administrative and Diplomatic Service and Cuepacs to extend the retirement age beyond 56.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said civil servants were looking forward to the announcement of their retirement age extension at the national Workers' Day celebrations to be held on May 21.

“In our meeting with PSD officials last week, they informed us that the proposal had been submitted for approval.

“We are expecting Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to make an official statement on the retirement age during the celebrations.”

“The Government has viewed the proposal positively and we hope it will extend the mandatory retirement age of civil servants to 60, which we have been requesting for sometime now,” he said.