4œ theSun | WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18 2009

news without borders

briefs DAP proposes RM800 unemployment benefit

10,277 local workers
retrenched, 200,000
foreigners sent home
A TOTAL of 10,277 local workers have been
retrenched since October, while 4,550 had opted
for voluntary separation schemes, Human Res-
ources Minister Datuk Dr S.Subramaniam said.
Responding to a question from Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh), he said
these workers were mostly from sectors like manu-
facturing – especially the electrical and electronic
goods subsectors – textiles and clothing which
have been most hit by the economic slowdown.
Subramaniam said that to date, 200,000 for-
eign workers had been sent home in line with the
government’s policy that locals be given priority
in job placements.
He said a tripartite retrenchment monitoring
THE DAP wants the federal gov-
ernment to implement a RM800
monthly unemployment benefit for
workers retrenched as a result of
the economic downturn.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan
Eng (Bagan) said the party’s central
executive committee had agreed at
a meeting on Monday that there
was a need for the federal govern-
ment to help retrenched workers
survive the crisis.
He said it was the committee’s
view that the need to strengthen the
economy and a substantial stimulus
package to help the people should
Maria J. Dass and Giam Say Khoon at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday
be principle concerns now.
“I think too much attention has
been given to issues which have no
relevance to the ordinary livelihood
of Malaysians. We urge the govern-
ment to provide payment to workers
who lost their jobs.
“Although never been done
before, it is necessary, at least for a
certain period to help overcome their
financial difficulties,” he told a press
conference at the Parliament lobby.
Lim said the government should also
help retrenched workers find jobs.
Asked what allocation sum such
an unemployment benefit would
require, he said that if the recession
continued for three to six months,
the government might need to
spend about RM1 million a month,
based on the current unemployment
figure of 13,000 people.
However, Lim said, the ideal
solution was to provide an annual
bonus of RM6,000 to families that
earn less than RM6,000 a month.
Funds for this purpose could come
from Petronas’ profits – a proposal
which the DAP had made last year,
but which the government had yet
to reply to, he said.
Asked whether the proposed
nise an assembly of 100,000 people to
benefit was suggested because
of the retrenchment situation in
Penang, Lim, who is also the state’s
chief minister, said: “The retrench-
ment rate is higher in other states.
But that does not mean that Penang
will not be hit, we must prepare for
the worst and hope for the best.”
On the circulated nude photos
of Selangor executive councillor
Elizabeth Wong, Lim said the vic-
tim should be defended and not
punished. Asked if the DAP would
support her keeping her job, he said:
“We should not pass moral judgment
on others.”

Anti-English group
committee, involving the participation of the gov- protest the policy on March 7.
ernment, employers and workers’ unions, and the Hishammuddin said the government
establishment of 80 operation centres nationwide wanted to announce a final decision as
to monitor and help place retrenched workers in soon as possible, but that there were
new jobs, were aimed at identifying solutions to many approaches to consider.
retrenchment. “All approaches are still under the

asks govt to revert

ministry’s consideration as we have
Bills for 2nd and 3rd readings Soi Lek heard from all quarters at our round-
THE Education (Amendment) Bill 2008, the
not on table meetings. What is important is that
senatorship we make a decision based on facts and
Supplementary Supply Bill 2008, the Pensions experiences,” he said. A new policy can
(Amendment) Bill 2008, the Judges Remu- list only be implemented next year at the
neration (Amendment) Bill 2008, the National
pg 10 earliest, he said.

Kenaf and Tobacco Board Bill 2008, the Uni-
versity and University Colleges (Amendment)
Bill 2008, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com-
mission Bill 2008, the Judicial Appointments
Commission Bill 2008 and the Supply Bill 2009
are among those that have been approved for
second and third reading.
Others include the DNA Identification Bill
2008, the Statutory and Local Authorities Pen-
sions (Amendment) Bill 2008, the Pensions
(Amendment) (No 2) Bill 2008 and the Witness
Protection Bill.
Abdul Wahid sworn in as
Kuala Terengganu MP
NEWLY elected Kuala Terengganu MP Mohd
Abdul Wahid Endut took his oath of office before
Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
Abdul Wahid, 52, from PAS, won the seat in a
by-election on Jan 17 with a 2,631-vote majority.
He secured 32,883 votes to win the seat against
Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan
Salleh, who obtained 30,252 votes. The by-election
was held following the death of deputy education
minister Datuk Razali Ismail on Nov 28.
Pandikar Amin also conveyed his condolences
to the family of Bukit Gantang MP Roslan Shaha-
rum, who died of a heart attack on Feb 9, and
asked members to observe a minute’s silence.
to previous policy
THE Anti-Teaching of Science and Math-
ematics in English Movement handed
a memorandum to Education Minister
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
and other MPs yesterday, appealing to
the government to revert to its previous
policy.
The group’s chairman Datuk Dr
Hassan Ahmad said the problem with
the new policy had become a serious
one, although the government took the
view that it had been a success.
Hassan (third “The policy has not succeeded in
from right) achieving its goals as thousands of
asks to be students, especially in the rural areas of
allowed into Sabah and Sarawak, are having a serious
the Parliament problem learning and understanding
building the subjects in a language they do not
to present understand.
Hishammuddin “Try to imagine English
with a memo.
children being taught two subjects in a
foreign language, they would face the
same problem,” he told reporters at the
Parliament lobby.
Hassan said experts in education had
also opined that it was easier for students
to acquire knowledge if the subjects were
taught in their mother tongue.
He said students must still master the
English language, but as a secondary
instrument to acquire other knowledge
in other countries.
“This is not a problem that affects
only the Malay community but a national
problem that affects all. So we would like
appeal to the government to do away
with the policy.
“We are surprised to see the govern-
ment commissioning a selective survey,
with only a few people
interviewed, especially
city dwellers.”
Hassan said it was
pathetic to see students
perform badly when ans-
wering exam questions in
English, which had led to
a lower pass rate.
“This is detrimental
to the quality of students,
and even if our children
become scientists later,
they will not excel.”
Asked if the move-
ment planned to meet
with Hishammuddin to
discuss the matter, he
said: “We would love to
meet the minister and
learn from him why
the original policy was
changed.”
The movement
also planned to orga-
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim, who also received the memo-
randum, said the Pakatan Rakyat would
support the movement’s struggle.
“I hope opposition MPs would con-
tinue to raise questions on this matter,”
he said.
The memorandum was also pre-
sented to Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed
Hamid Albar and PAS president Datuk
Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Earlier in the House, several quar-
ters argued that the teaching of Science
and Maths in English was an insult
to the national language and its ability
to be an effective medium of instruc-
tion.
However, there are those who want the
policy to be retained for the benefit of stu-
dents in rural areas who do not have the
opportunity to develop the use of Eng-
lish.
Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (BN-
Kinabatangan) said: “These people who
are asking for the subjects to be taught
in Bahasa Malaysia instead of English
are all people who have mastered the
English language and have children
studying in a white man’s country.”
Others like Khalid Abd Samad
(PAS-Shah Alam) say that if the govern-
ment wants students to master English,
they should improve the teaching of
the language instead of teaching other
subjects in the language.
“How do you expect students to
master difficult subjects like Maths and
Science in English if they can’t grasp the
language to begin with?” he asked.
In response to a question from Datuk
Kamarudin Jaffar (PAS-Tumpat), His-
hammuddin said the government was
always mindful of the need to uphold
the sanctity of Bahasa Malaysia as the
national language.
“We will take into account the views
of the movement and all parties before
we decide on whether to continue the
policy which has been in force for the
last six years,” he said.

Support water concession bid, minister urged

SELANGOR MPs on the state’s
Water Review Panel have urged
Energy, Water and Communica-
tions Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu
Mansor to support and endorse the
state government’s offer to acquire
the water concession in the state.
In a joint press conference by
Tony Pua (DAP-Petaling Jaya
Utara), Charles Santiago (DAP-
Klang), William Leong (PKR-Sela-
yang) and Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad
(PAS-Kuala Selangor), Pua said
the public had suffered once when
water assets were forcibly priva-
tised by the (federal) government.
“We call on the minister not to
‘rape’ the country twice by buying
back these water assets and con-
cessions at inflated prices.
“Doing so will only provide a
basis for the dictum that the Barisan
Nasional government privatises prof-
its and nationalises losses,” he told
reporters at the Parliament lobby.
Pua said MPs sitting on the
panel hoped the minister would
not only support the state’s fair
and reasonable offer to acquire the
water assets and concession, but
also execute such an acquisition.
“The offer on Feb 13 was made
on the basis of a one-time book
value of the water-related assets
in the concession agreement as at
Dec 13, 2007, and a fair and reason-
able return on the actual equity in-
vested by the concessionaire since
the industry was first privatised.
“It should be noted that the offer
made by the Selangor government
is guided by and in compliance with
the terms and conditions willingly
signed by all parties to the conces-
sion agreement,” he said.
Pua also criticised the govern-
ment’s use of a “discounted cash
flow model” – under which the
concessionaire is paid with its
future profits – as unreasonable,
defeating the purpose of the water
restructuring exercise.