KUALA LUMPUR: The Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017 (Act 789) amendments are expected to be brought to Parliament by the end of the current session, says Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
The Human Resources Minister said upcoming legislative changes included amendments to Act 789 on the “Commuter Scheme”, which is expected to benefit about 400,000 Malaysians commuting to Singapore for work daily.
He said the amendments to the Employment Insurance System Act were also expected to be tabled before the end of the year, with the proposed changes expected to benefit more than 132,000 female workers.
“The government wants the amendments passed before the current parliamentary sitting ends and the new year begins,” he said in his speech at the PERKESO iLINDUNGu Media Awards 2026 on Wednesday night.
He said both initiatives were part of the government’s efforts to strengthen social protection and safeguard workers’ welfare.
Ramanan also paid tribute to all media practitioners, adding that their contributions in providing accurate information to the public were greatly appreciated.
“The role of the media is very important in helping the ministry and PERKESO communicate policies to the people in a way that is easier to understand.
“For example, on the issue of Lindung 24 Hours, the media was a key element in helping PERKESO convince more than 8.6 million workers in Malaysia to remain under the scheme.
“Therefore, thank you to the media, and continue to be the platform that unites the government with the people,” he said.
The ceremony also honoured the family of the late Makkal Osai senior editor Dr Rajan Boopalan, better known as BR Rajan, who died on Oct 25 after spending more than 50 years in journalism.
Also recognised was the family of late Makkal Osai staff Yogeswaran Alagan, who died at his workplace on June 16.
During the ceremony, The Star’s senior writer Tarrence Tan won third place for Best Print Media.
Tan dedicated the win to regular Malaysians who were willing to talk about a bad week in their lives so others could learn from it.
“Social security can sound like a line on a payslip until you meet the people it catches.
“I also thank PERKESO group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed for answering our questions in detail, and my editors at The Star for giving the story the space it needed,” he said.
PERKESO chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal and The Star managing editor Brian Martin also attended the event.
