Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has reminded the country's 1.6 million civil servants that they can still keep their jobs, all because of the goods and services tax (GST).

"The GST was not meant to burden the people, but it is the saviour of the people.

"With the current situation, where the crude oil has fallen to US$30 per barrel, we are still able to keep the civil servants - none of them, including the contract staff, were terminated," Najib said when attending the 34th World Customs Day in Petaling Jaya today.

The are currently 1.6 million civil servants and 10,000 contract staff in employment.

Reiterating his theory that GST is the country's saviour in terms of stabilising the economy, Najib stressed that the government is still able to implement various measures, including giving out scholarships and 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M).

Najib praised the Royal Customs and Excise Department officers as the heroes of the nation by improving the country's economy.

The Customs Department has collected RM51 billion since the implementation of the GST in April last year, as compared with RM37.2 billion collected before the GST, he said.

The country, which has gone through the Communist insurgency and the collapse of Berlin Wall, is now confronting a more sophiscated and challenging era.

Therefore, the prime minister said, the capacity of the Customs Department should be further improved to indentify the new threats faced at the country’s border entry and exit points.

Najib urged the department to ensure that those with bad intentions or the enemies of the state cannot enter the country easily.