Senior civil servants get club allowance

The Star

SEREMBAN: Civil servants in the “top management” and “management and professional” groups can now claim up to RM4,000 for membership in sports and recreational clubs, an increase from the present RM3,000.

This ruling, which came into force last month, is expected to benefit an estimated 100,000 civil servants.

Treasury secretary-general Datuk Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah said that those in the “management and professional” groups who needed to interact with people in the private sector in the course of their work were eligible.

“Civil servants whose spouses are also working for the government and are (therefore both) eligible, will be able to make separate claims to become members of these clubs,” he said in a circular.

Apart from senior federal government staff, civil servants in state governments, statutory bodies and local councils are also entitled to this enhanced privilege.

Ismail said that this privilege was only open to the eligible civil servants once while in service.

“Also, the membership cannot be transferred,” he said.

The civil servants will only be allowed to join clubs registered under the Companies Act 1965 or Societies Act 1966 whose membership was open to all.