WITH the Government’s bold proclamation to create 500,000 jobs post COVID-19, two political leaders have urged the former to be more transparent on the details.
“The Government needs to answer three simple questions. One is, what type of jobs are they planning to create from the initiative?
“Question two is, how are they planning to create such gargantuan number of jobs for our unemployed citizens at a time when our private sector is suffering due to the COVID-19 triggered economic recession?
“And my last question is, when are they planning to fulfill the target and will they inform the public about it?” asked Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng.
Yesterday, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that the National Employment Council would be creating 500,000 jobs, with the support of the Jaminan Penjanaan Pekerjaan (JanaKerja) scheme.
“The JanaKerja scheme is expected to create 250,000 job opportunities, reskilling and upskilling programmes will have 200,000, and the MyStep scheme (will add) another 50,000 job opportunities,” he was reported saying.
Touching on the matter, Lim also queried on whether the jobs will come from the civil service, adding if the Government would also create jobs for those without tertiary education.
“Unfortunately, with the Parliament prorogued, we could only ask these pertinent questions using the press or social media,” said the DAP leader.
Get creative, dump outdated policies
On a related matter, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member Sharan Raj said that the Government should first address the manpower shortage in the civil service, particularly in critical areas such as public healthcare.
“The number looks great but we should focus on creating quality jobs that could contribute to the economy and society.
“Let’s start with civil service. Many of our critical areas such as public healthcare and Fire and Rescue Department are severely understaffed. You cannot be expecting the private sector alone to create jobs,” he said.
The PSM leader also urged the Government to drop the outdated “subsidising the private sector” mindset as times have changed over the years.
“The Government allocates billions of ringgit in subsidies to the private sector but the question is, are these companies creating jobs or are we just supporting ‘zombie companies’ that ends up offering little contribution to the economy?
“If we keep subsidising ‘zombie companies’ which only drains public resources without having an economic output, then we will be heading towards another recession in the future,” Sharan opined.
Offering solutions to the current economic situation, Sharan urged the Government to redirect the billions of ringgit to the people’s pockets, under the Universal Basic Income (UBI) scheme.
In his argument, he said that many private enterprises are cutting back on production due to weak consumption, as people have lost jobs or had their remuneration slashed.
“By putting some money into people’s pockets, the latter will start spending by purchasing essential goods. When demand for these goods soar, private enterprises will eventually boost production.
“With that, the nation’s economic engine will run and revitalise the economy. You cannot expect the economy to recover when people don’t even have money to buy groceries,” Sharan stressed.
On that note, the PSM leader urged the Government to also formulate certain intervention policies to create new industries such as renewable energy (RE), which will diversify the economy and create new jobs.
“For example, the Perak state government recently announced that they will allocate 400 hectares of land for graduates who want to embark on agriculture. This is a good move as it will create jobs and give a new boost to our agriculture sector.
“So, please stop this creating 500,000 jobs public relations stunt and come up with workable policies,” Sharan remarked. – Mar 8, 2021.
