Employers should give ex-convicts a chance, says deputy minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Employers should hire ex-convicts as they deserve a second chance to return to the society after serving time, says Home Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.

Currently, Shamsul said several ministries are working together with the Prisons Department to ensure ex-convicts could get job opportunities after they are released from prison.

He said it was important to provide such opportunities to ex-offenders who had mended their ways so that they could build a new and better life for themselves.

"Among the agencies that also support the efforts of the Prisons Department to provide job opportunities to this group include the Department of Labour, the Human Resources Ministry, Socso, LPP (Farmers Organisation Authority), KBS (Youth and Sports Ministry) and many more," he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 26).

He said this in response to an additional question from Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan (BN-Kuala Pilah) regarding measures taken by the ministry to attract employers to hire ex-convicts and plans to encourage them to join Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.

Shamsul said the Prisons Department had implemented a series of seminars with government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to improve and encourage more parties to be involved in such programmes.

In addition, he said, the Prisons Department also encouraged more prison inmates to participate in TVET programmes.

According to him, some of the existing programmes include collaboration with Malaysia Productivity Corporation and the Yellow Ribbon project.