Riot wants to equip ex-servicemen for job market
SERIAN: Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem wants to ensure retired soldiers are competitive in the job market instead of having to hunt for limited jobs after leaving the service.
He said the Recognition of Prior Experiential Leaning ( RFEL) programme was introduced starting this year with more than 600 ex- servicemen nationwide expected to graduate soon with diplomas which would provide them with better job opportunities.
Emphasising the days of retired soldiers becoming security guards should be over, he believed that it was only logical for the ex- servicemen to get skills acquired during their years in service to be properly certified when entering civilian life.
“The government recognises the talents of soldiers. It recognises the fact that soldiers are readily trainable people, like when you can be trained to build roads and bridges, even make bombs.
“So, now we want to train you for the job market. We want retired soldiers to be equipped with certificates and diplomas acceptable to industries,” he said when officiating at the launch of a warriors’ fund campaign organised by Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVATM) Serian and Balai Ringin chapters at Dewan Masyarakat Serian on Saturday.
The RFEL programme, styled after the ones already implemented in United Kingdom and Australia, involved the Human Resources Development Fund ( HRDF) collaborating with Armed Forces Ex- Servicemen Affairs Corporation ( Perhebat) to enable ex- servicemen to find jobs upon entering civilian life.
The Human Resources Ministry has targeted, under its Key Performance Indicator ( KPI), to get 1,000 armed forces veterans to obtain skills certification during the first year of implementation of this programme in 2017.
Meanwhile, the event saw Riot who is also six-term Serian MP presenting RM10,000 in outright grants each to PVATM Serian, Balai Ringin, Mambong and Tasik Biru chapters.
Riot said he was supportive of the associations of former soldiers because they have sacrificed a lot in the defence of the country and to ensure the general peace.
He pointed out the senior officials from ministry and those departments and agencies under it such as from Social Security Organisation ( Socso), HRDF and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( NIOSH) were present at the event in a show of support for the ex-servicemen.
Later, Riot managed to raise more than RM3,000 in a golden voice session for which he belted a Bidayuh song at the request of the audience.
Others present were Malaysian Infantry First Division Commander Major General Datuk Stephen Mundaw, political secretary to the Human Resources Minister Major (r) Datuk Peter Runin and Serian Resident Johnathan Lugoh. KUCHING: Thankful for being not barred from entering Sarawak, Parti Keadilan Rakyat ( PKR) women’s chief Zuraida Kamaruddin hopes that the state government will allow more opposition leaders from Peninsular Malaysia to enter the state.
Besides Zuraida, other PKR leaders who were allowed to enter Sarawak on Saturday were its vice-president and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar. Both leaders were previously among a number of opposition leaders from the peninsula who were barred from entering the state.
“I hope the state government will be more democratic this time around and allow (those) from the ( Peninsular Malaysia) opposition parties to have free entry into Sarawak to undertake our legitimate political activities. I believe that we also can bring in some valuable changes to Sarawak,” she told a press conference here yesterday.
Zuraida stressed that the PKR central leadership fully supports Sarawak’s autonomy.
“We believe that the only way and the fastest way for Sarawakians to get back their autonomy is to support Pakatan Harapan ( PH). There is no way that the BN (Barisan Nasional) government, after 50 years (of ruling the country) will give ( back Sarawak’s autonomy). If they wanted to give back, they would have given back earlier.”
In view of this, Zuraida was hopeful that Sarawakians would dare to make a change by voting for PH in the coming general election.
“With the current political situation where there are leaders who were formerly from BN – the ex-prime minister ( Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) is there, ex- deputy prime minister ( Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) is there and the ex-menteri besar ( Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir) is there – together with us, I think we should be stronger in this sense and then to pull the boat.
“And we hope there will be a few more parliamentary seats in Sarawak that can contribute to our success to take over Putrajaya (in the coming general election.”
Zuraida added that for Sarawak, the party will focus on several seats and will be working very hard to ensure that their candidates will win.
State PKR chairman Baru Bian, meanwhile, echoed the same appreciation for the gesture by the state government in allowing Zuraida and Nurul Izzah to enter the state.
He said these leaders were genuinely coming to Sarawak to assist in the political struggle here and were not racists, extremists or bigots.
In confirming a point made by Zuraida that Sarawak and Sabah are fighting for their autonomous rights, Baru said the vision can only be realised by voting for PH in the coming general election.
“It is very clear and consistent too that it has been incorporated in our manifesto since 2013 (13th General Election) and you all know too we have the Kuching Declaration confirming the agreement of the terms of condition of the Malaysia Agreement.
“These are things that Sarawakians and Sabahans are very concerned with. Please, don’t say that we’ll be the same as BN. No, you have not given us the opportunity to rule and the manifesto is a political promise that we have for the people of Sarawak and Sabah. In fact, it has been proven in Selangor and Penang that whatever that had been promised had been fulfilled.”
On the Sarawak and Sabah manifesto for the coming General Election, Baru said a special committee has been formed and that the public would be informed once it is completed.
Meanwhile, Zuraida invited all women activist groups, organisations, female elected representatives and women from all political parties in Sarawak, to attend a forum on Aug 17 in Selangor to promote more participation of female representatives in state legislative assemblies nationwide.
“There is an allocation where we want to introduce women- only assigned seats. The states have to look into this seriously because the federal government has failed in terms raising up more female participation at ministerial level and Members of Parliament level. BN states failed to do that but in Selangor, we have achieved our 30 per cent female representatives.
“We want the participants to advocate in their states for more women’s participation for the coming election, and for the state government to look into introducing a policy of womenonly assigned seats.”