The Public Service Department has not recommended to the government to raise the retirement age of civil servants specifically to 60 years, clarified PSD head of Corporate Communications Hasniah Rashid today.

She was clarifying recent news reports which misquoted PSD directory-general Ismail Adam's remarks on the subject.

"What Ismail meant was extending the age from 56 to perhaps, 57, 58, 59 or 60. The PSD proposed that the retirement age be extended beyond 56 but it was up to the government to decide," said Hasniah according to Bernama.

According to the Star today, Ismail also clarified that a study forwarded to the government did not specifically propose that the extension goes up to 60 years.

Years of deliberation

He said his officials had deliberated on the subject for several years but had only forwarded the proposal recently.

Previously, Cuepacs president Omar Osman hoped the government would extend the services of civil servants beyond 56 years, which was the current retiring age.

The last time the retirement aged for civil servants was raised was in September 2001. Prior to that the retirement age was 55.