Najib: CRP will better people’s lives

Bold move: Najib explaining the NBOS plan at the Dewan Rakyat. — Bernama

• At The Dewan Rakyat 

The Community Rehabilitation Programme (CRP) for prisoners is among programmes implemented under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) to better people’s lives while reducing cost, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Under this programme, inmates who are not classified as hardcore criminals are given vocational training, including in agriculture, so they can have a source of income.

They are placed in protected areas which are not prisons, so we do not have to spend money to build new prisons, the Prime MIinister said in reply to a question by Datuk Juslie Ajirol (BN – Libaran) in Parliament.

Juslie had asked about government efforts to optimise spending under NBOS.

Najib said there were over 80 government agencies and departments conducting 115 NBOS initiatives.

This had managed to break the silo system which had affected government programmes before this, he said.

One of the best examples of NBOS’ effectiveness was the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) which operates beyond the regular opening hours – from 8.30am to 10pm daily including weekends, he said.