The existing working hours for civil servants will remain, said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa over a proposal to introduce six-hour work day for the civil service.

He said the proposal from the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service (Cuepacs) had been studied and found to be detrimental to the civil service.

Ali said the emphasis on the civil service now was to improve its productivity.

"The work hours will stay as it is now," he told reporters after attending the Association of Wives of Civil Servants and Women Members of the Civil Service (Puspanita) annual religious conference here today.

The present civil service working day is nine hours, including a one hour lunch break.

On a separate matter, Ali announced that the grade of Customs officer Anisah Ali who was killed when the car she was in was rammed by a a vehicle driven by an informer (tonto), will be posthumously raised from Grade 22 to 26.

"The government will arrange for the late officer to be promoted posthumously, so that her next of kin would receive the benefits according to the new grade," he said in responding to a call by Cuepacs for the government to consider giving Anisah a higher grade.

The victim who was on duty, died on Sunday of internal injuries and intestinal complications after receiving treatment at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

Ali also announced that the condition requiring government projects valued at above RM500 million from the federal to local authority level to have the involvement of the Auditor-General and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was already being carried out.

He said the proposal had received the approval of the Prime Minister, the Auditor-General and MACC.

"The proposal has already been agreed by all parties. And it is now implemented immediately," he said.

Last week, Ali proposed government projects valued at RM500 million and above should have the participation of the Auditor-General and MACC to eradicate irregularities and corruption.

The same mechanism involving the Auditor-General and MACC was used in mega projects such as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project earlier to prevent leakages and misappropriation and had proven to be effective.

At the ceremony today, Ali, who is Puspanita adviser, presented Puspanita contributions amounting to RM130,000 to 41 senior citizen activity centres nationwide, five secondary schools, four primary schools which have special education classes in Putrajaya as well as Puspanita Al-Quran Classes for Special Children.

Also present was his wife and Puspanita president, Puan Sri Rohani Abdullah. -- Bernama