All for one: Ismail Sabri mingling with youths from Bera after launching the youth carnival. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
BERA: The Covid-19 pandemic may have ravaged lives and livelihoods, but this should not be a reason to throw in the towel, says the caretaker Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the pandemic has affected many people, especially those in the B40 (lower income) category, leading to many losing their jobs.
“We know that some are still unemployed and still struggling to get back on their feet.
“But this is not a reason for them to give up. Instead, this is an opportunity for people to improve the economy through programmes provided by the government,” he said when launching the “Anak Muda Gegar Bera” youth carnival here yesterday.
Ismail Sabri said efforts to help the people gain employment since the pandemic first struck are among the most popular government initiatives, so much so that the public wants them to be continued in the future.
He said the JaminKerja initiative has a far-reaching impact, citing a study conducted by the Ilham Centre think tank which showed that 82.5% wanted the programme to be continued.
The programme is popular among employers and job seekers alike, and as at Oct 28, the Social Security Organisation (Socso) had received applications from 65,774 workers involving 8,513 employers.
The prime minister said the government, through the Human Resources Ministry, has taken proactive steps to ensure the welfare of workers and employers is being looked after, including those in the gig economy.
“If in 2020, only a handful of gig riders had insurance protection, today, more than 260,000 are covered under one of the Socso schemes,” he added.
To assist those who were retrenched during the pandemic, programmes to help them re-skill and find new sources of income were introduced, he said.
Ismail Sabri also wants employers to take advantage of the JaminKerja-Employment Incentive programme that offers incentives to employers of up to RM42,000 for 12 months for each new worker employed by the company.
Realising the potential of esports, which could potentially generate an income of RM7.56bil in 2024, the prime minister said an allocation of RM13mil had been set aside under Budget 2023 (which will have to be retabled after GE15).
He made special mention of the Mobile Legends Professional League champion Team Haq Esports Club, one of the country’s most successful esports clubs.
On another matter, Ismail Sabri questioned if Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who accused him of not resolving issues involving military projects, deliberately did not take note of the government’s previous responses.
“The matter has been addressed numerous times. I’m not sure if he [Anwar] did not read the statements or purposely does not want to know about the response,” he said.
He said the Defence Ministry had explained the latest status of its delayed projects.
“As for allegations of misappropriation, such cases are being handled by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. In fact, some cases have been charged in court.
“I’m not sure if he understands the issue or he is pretending not to understand,” he added.
On Friday, Anwar had alleged that military personnel in Bera had already cast their votes in GE15 and had been paid to do so.
In response to this, Ismail Sabri said it was a lie and a malicious accusation against the armed forces, aimed to tarnish their image.
The prime minister demanded Anwar retract the accusation and apologise to the military personnel who he accused of being paid to vote.
Anwar then said that it was Ismail Sabri who should apologise instead of asking him to do so.
