The Penang government has paid their staff a bonus equivalent to 0.75 of their monthly salary or RM1,000 (whichever is higher) as a token of appreciation for their contributions to the "smooth running" of the state.

Dubbed the "2017 special financial aid", a portion (0.5 percent) was paid out on June 20 to those without any disciplinary records.

The balance (0.25 percent) would be paid out to those that have shown "satisfactory performance", which covered those who had not taken more than one-day sick leave.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said 3,741 civil servants will benefit from this exercise, which will cost the state RM7,551,028.94, up from RM6,945,034.67 in 2016.

Lim expressed hope this special financial aid can motivate the state's civil servants to provide the best services to the people.

He urged them to work together with the state leadership to make Penang a smart and international city that is green, healthy, clean and safe for all.

"There are some new developments in Penang, including a RM1 billion investment from Taiwan to build an electronics factory in Penang," Lim said in a press statement today.

"There was also recognition from Times Magazine of Penang being as one of the 10 main tourist sites with one of the best economies in Asia."

We did better than BN

Meanwhile, Lim said the state government has managed to record higher surpluses every year, and the accumulated amount from 2008 to 2015 (eight years) stands at RM578 million.

This compares to the surplus of RM373 million during the 50-year rule (1957-2007) under the BN administration, he claimed.

Lim said the state government has also managed to increase its assets reserves to almost 100 percent from RM849 million in 2008 to RM1.6 million in 2015.

He added the state's debts have also been reduced to RM65 million "as we do not steal money".

Describing it as dividends from the state's anti-corruption drive, Lim said the people including the state's civil servants get to share the benefits of these monetary measures.

"This is why our special financial aid is higher that the federal government's RM500."