Floods: Government cancels leave for senior civil servants

The government has cancelled all leave for senior civil servants with immediate effect in view of the floods ravaging several states. A statement issued today by the Office of the Chief Secretary to the Government said the leave of all ministry secretaries-general and heads of services had been cancelled. The decision was in keeping with a directive from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for all cabinet ministers to return to work immediately to help manage the flood crisis, it said. "The Chief Secretary to the Government (Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa) has decided to cancel with immediate effect all leave for ministry secretaries-general and heads of services," the statement said. Yesterday, Najib ordered all ministers who were abroad on holiday to return immediately to facilitate the management of flood relief operations. The second wave of floods this year, which struck in the middle of this month, has displaced more than 200,000 people in eight states, with the worst-affected being Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.