KUALA LUMPUR – It was a tit-for-tat exchange at the Dewan Rakyat between former Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran (Ipoh Barat-PH) and Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Awang Hashim (Pendang-PAS) over the latter’s claim that he met with the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) twice.
During a parliamentary question-and-answer session concerning the national minimum wage, Kula Segaran claimed that the ministry had failed to participate in the National Labour Advisory Council meetings with MTUC.
The DAP lawmaker said this after stating that he had met with MTUC last week, and asking if Awang was telling the truth about his two previous meetings with the union.
Kula Segaran also went on to point out that during Pakatan Harapan’s administration and his tenure as human resources minister, the government met with MTUC on a monthly basis to provide a voice for workers in the country.
In his subsequent reply, Awang quipped that if MTUC did hold monthly meetings with the ministry when PH was in power, there would not be outstanding issues to resolve at present.
He went on to add that the ministry was unable to ensure that monthly meetings could be conducted given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the ministry’s study on the revamp of the national minimum wage, Awang said the results will be presented to the cabinet by the fourth quarter of this year.
Responding to Nurul Izzah Anwar’s (Permatang Pauh-PH) proposal on a national living wage as implemented in Luxembourg and Australia, Awang stated that such a policy is not suitable for Malaysia at present.
He said the average income and GDP per capita income in those countries are higher, emphasising that Luxembourg also has a smaller population than Malaysia. – The Vibes, September 22, 2021
