FOCUS ON DIRECT, INDIRECT ASSISTANCE
Govt to better protect people’s welfare, especially those in informal economy
THE government is set to generate 500,000 job opportunities this year through the National Employment Council (NEC). Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the government had helped save 2.7 million jobs through the wage subsidy programme worth RM14.4 billion.
It also reduced the unemployment rate to 4.8 per cent in December last year from 5.3 per cent in May, he added.
“Moving forward, the main focus this year will be prioritising direct and indirect assistance to alleviate the burden faced by the people. The welfare of the people needs to be better protected, especially those in the informal economy.
“A study conducted in PPR (People’s Housing Project) areas found that there were those who did not receive assistance as they were not registered with any government agency involved in channelling assistance,” he said in the 44th Implementation and Coordination Unit Between National Agencies (Laksana) report yesterday.
Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul said the government would continue to drive the digitalisation process to achieve the objectives of the Malaysian Digital Economy Blueprint and MyDigital initiative.
He said the government must act immediately to speed up the use of fifth-generation (5G) mobile technology.
“The total investment requirement for the 5G infrastructure project is estimated at RM15 billion, which involves infrastructure as well as annual operation and maintenance costs over 10 years.
“A more accurate costing will be known after the open tender process that will begin soon. Digital Nasional Bhd will evaluate innovative options to create a cost-effective financing structure. It is expected that this will be privately funded through a public-private partnership agreement.”
Tengku Zafrul said the government would also focus on transforming government-linked companies.
“For the government, it has been a challenging year in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this has never been an obstacle in ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of the people.