KOTA KINABALU – Sabah DAP acting chairman Datuk Frankie Poon has urged the Sabah government to consider making 55 the compulsory retirement age for state civil servants.
He said this is to make way for young officers to climb the ranks and encourage ambitious, hardworking young officers to achieve higher positions.
“Besides, this is the high-technology era, and technologies are changing fast due to artificial intelligence.
“The youths find it much easier to accept and adapt to these changes,” he said while debating the state budget at the assembly here today.
On another matter, Poon, who is the Tg Papat assemblyman, said the government should consider utilising all their vacant buildings and offices.
“I’m aware that the government has a lot of unused buildings, such as the MPS Tower in Sandakan.
“There are only several units operating on the ground floor of the building while most of the units remain empty,” said Poon.
He said these empty units can be offered to young entrepreneurs and the government can impose a minimum charge for rental, management and utility services for these business owners’ first year of operation.
Poon said the spaces can be offered to others in subsequent years.
Meanwhile, Sabah DAP Wanita head Jannie Lasimbang has urged the Sabah government to increase the allocation for women seeking legal redress on divorce, alimony, custody rights, restraining orders, domestic violence and sexual harassment cases.
The Kapayan assemblyman said the RM830,000 allocation under the Sabah Budget 2021 can only cover up to 50 cases a year.
“I am proposing that the allocation be increased to allow the state’s legal bureau to take more cases,” she said. – The Vibes, December 21, 2020
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