Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today urged civil servants to pay attention to matters that may be raised by the delegates attending the Umno general assembly.

He said the civil servants should particularly concentrate on matters concerning the country's development and public service.

According to Bernama today, Abdullah said such comments were not meant to attack government employees.

"All of us, especially those working in the Prime Minister's Department, should be listening to what the ruling government party has to say," he said at the department's monthly assembly in Putrajaya this morning.

"The delegates may want to voice out their opinions on certain issues or they may choose to remain silent," the premier was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Umno's annual meet, which will see the attendance of some 2,500 delegates, will begin tonight and end on Friday at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Deputy prime minister and Umno's deputy chief Najib Abdul Razak would be officiating the Youth, Wanita and Puteri meetings tonight. The AGM proper of the main body will start on Wednesday.

Retaining good employees

On another matter, Abdullah also said that he was satisfied with improvements in the quality of public service following the introduction of several measures, including the setting up of one-stop centres to expedite the processing of applications.

He also said that the government wanted to retain its best employees by offering them competitive salaries.

This, he said, was reflected in the recent raise in the salaries of civil servants.

"We don't want them to leave half-way through the service due to some bad things or doubts about their future," he said.

He added that long-serving civil servants were an asset to the government and that due rewards would be given to them irrespective of race or religion.

"They are all brothers and sisters, colleagues who should help each other to attain common goals," he said.