Reevaluating our internship policies (Poll Inside)

The spark: Rashifa Aljunied, 24, advocating for paid internships with her placard reading ‘Intern Bukan Buruh Percuma’. — Others

TO pay or not to pay, that seems to be the burning question among Malaysian interns and employers for the past weeks.

It all started when Twitter user @youngaljuneid posted a picture of herself with a placard that said: “Intern Bukan Buruh Percuma” (interns are not free labour). She was referring to the fact that the increase in the minimum wage does not cover interns, and that interns are not protected by the Employment Act, increasing their risk of exploitation by companies.