EMPLOYMENT COUNCIL TO CREATE 500,000 JOBS THIS YEAR
Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme and MYFutureJobs portal to boost hiring and training, says PM
THE National Employment Council chaired by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin aims to create 500,000 jobs this year. The prime minister said the government, through the Social Security Organisation (Socso), will implement the Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 programme as well as enhance the MYFutureJobs portal to encourage employers to hire and train new staff.
“Throughout last year, a total of 161,603 job seekers secured new employment. Up to Feb 26 (this year), a total of 25,648 job seekers have found work.
“On MYFutureJobs, 243,892 employment opportunities are still available for job seekers. Of that number, 143,320 were created through the portal,” he said in his special address in conjunction with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government’s one-year anniversary.
He said the government had started conducting a comprehensive study on the public health system to ensure it was sustainable and resilient to future challenges.
It is divided into two stages, covering projection and efforts needed to be undertaken until 2030.
“The first phase aims to objectively examine and set the main steps that need to be taken to strengthen the system. The objective, among others, is to evaluate the country’s health system openly and objectively.
“The second phase will involve formulating action plans that detail the measures that need to be implemented to achieve the objective of a sustainable health system resilient to future challenges.”
He said the government would continue to step up security and enforcement to prevent the spread of the virus, adding that policies and legislation related to security would continue to be enhanced and improved to strengthen enforcement.
“Border controls will be among the government’s focus through management transformation and governance.
“The five-front boundary approach, which includes the northern border of Kedah, the northern border of Kelantan, the south, Sabah and Sarawak, will be implemented by increasing assets in these areas.
“This will be facilitated through the use of different high-tech equipment. This includes the addition of control posts, border fences, closed-circuit television cameras, radars and high-capacity drones.”
On another matter, Muhyiddin said none of the Emergency Ordinances enforced throughout the implementation of the state of emergency enabled the prime minister to stay in power forever.
He said the Emergency that was proclaimed with the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin AlMustafa Billah Shah aimed only to stop the spread of Covid-19 and to protect the people.
Since the state of emergency began on Jan 11, Muhyiddin said, the king had consented to the gazetting of three ordinances.
They are the Emergency Ordinance (Essential Powers) 2021, Emergency Ordinance (Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities) (Amendment) 2021 and Emergency Ordinance (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) 2021.
“With the proclamation of the state of emergency, all these ordinances can be gazetted quickly without having to go through a process in Parliament, which may have taken longer. I understand the meaning of democracy. None of these ordinances were intended to enable the prime minister to remain in power forever.
“The ongoing emergency has an expiration date of Aug 1. This is the first time in the country’s history that a state of emergency has an expiry date.”
Muhyiddin said he had on many occasions reiterated that he upheld the Federal Constitution and the principle of democracy.
Once the Covid-19 pandemic was successfully controlled, Muhyiddin said, he would seek an audience and advise the king to dissolve Parliament to make way for a general election.
“The main focus of this government at this moment is to steer this country out of health and economic crises.
“Once the pandemic is over, which I hope will be very soon, I will advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament.
“Until such time, my colleagues in the cabinet and I will continue to carry out our duties and responsibilities to the best of our ability.”
He said he would let the people decide whether the PN government should be re-elected or not.
“You are free to choose and that is what democracy is all about.”