TEMERLOH, Dec 28 — The government is considering giving special leave to civil servants involved in voluntary post-flood cleansing work, said Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali.

He said the special leave was to enable more civil servants to assist in the cleansing operations following the floods, especially in the badly affected areas that required more manpower for the task.

"Many (civil servants) wish to be volunteers to help the flood victims but in some cases, they don’t have a suitable channel to do so, besides being subjected to the regulations like not being allowed to go out during office hours.”

Mohd Zuki said this to Bernama after handing out the Bantuan Wang Ihsan (BWI) to 132 household heads affected by the calamity at the flood relief centre (PPS) in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sri Tualang, here, today.

Also present were Pahang police chief, Datuk Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf and state Tourism, Culture, Environment, Plantations and Commodities chairman, Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin.

Mohd Zuki said the special leave would be the same as that announced by Communications and Multimedia Minister, Tan Sri Annuar Musa yesterday on the unrecorded leave given to the ministry’s and its agencies’ workforce who became volunteers under the "Assist Until Completion” programme organised by the ministry. — Bernama