No impropriety in choice of company for female entrepreneurship programme: govt

KUALA LUMPUR – The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry has rubbished allegations of impropriety in its arrangement with a private company to conduct programmes for the empowerment of female entrepreneurs in the country.

It said Richworks International Sdn Bhd was selected in view of its performance in creating successful individuals in the business community.

It explained that the training programme called “Wanita Bangkit Berniaga” (WBB, “women rising in business”) involves strategic cooperation between the government and Richworks without costs.

“The online three-day programme is being held in accordance with SOPs (standard operating procedures) by the National Security Council to curb Covid-19.

“WBB has given opportunities to participants to discover new methods of earning income via commerce, knowledge sharing, communications networking, and sharing of success stories,” it said in a statement today.

The clarification was issued in response to an enquiry by The Vibes following viral accusations started on Twitter by an anonymous account regarding WBB and the ministry’s other programme, MyKasih Kapital (MKK).

MKK is a funding scheme through the National Welfare Foundation (NWF) that offers a grant of up to RM1,000 to encourage eligible women to enter the world of business.

With regards to the MKK programme, the ministry stressed that more than 4,000 women will benefit from grants totalling RM2 million allocated by NWF.

The ministry added that identified participants need to undergo a screening process before being guided through various activities, including workshops and motivation campaigns.

“The ministry condemns the Twitter user who jumped the gun, using uncouth language, false accusations, and insults against (minister) Datuk Seri Rina Harun,” it said.

“It is reminded that social media users must be careful before making or sharing statements, and to ensure they are not sharing false information as it is an offence under the Communications and Multimedia Act,” the statement added.

On its website, Richworks claims to be the biggest organiser of entrepreneurship seminars in Southeast Asia.

To ensure the success of the WBB programme, the ministry said, it has undertaken strategic collaborations with other companies – Syukor Dagang Sdn Bhd, Leong Hup International Bhd, HEYHO Sdn Bhd, DSAB Holdings Sdn Bhd, and UniKL Resources Sdn Bhd – as well.

Grant recipients required to attend free seminar

When contacted, a staff member of NFW told The Vibes that it is a condition that those awarded the grant attend the free three-day WBB seminar conducted by Richworks.

Although the WBB seminar is free, it is understood that the participants can attend Richworks’ other programmes later by paying the relevant fees charged by the company.

Twitter user @Mulut_Cabai, who claims to help women apply for the RM1,000 grant, has been critical of the arrangement and his posts have gone viral.

He claimed that to get the grant, the women who qualify are required to participate in the free three-day WBB seminar but are not guaranteed to receive their grant money.

Meanwhile, the hashtags#terimakasihrinaharun, #terimakasihdatukwiraazizanosman, #terimakasihrichwork and #terimakasihkpwkm are being popularised by the organisers and participants of the seminars.

A woman on Facebook who shared the hashtags also posted a link related to the WBB programme

It does not lead to a website, but to a WhatsApp chat with a person from Richworks.

Upon messaging the individual from RichWorks, he will request the enquirer’s name, business name, sales information, and why she would like to be “guided”.

‘Helping women further their businesses’

When The Vibes made contact via the WhatsApp chat link, a person on the other end explained that MyKasih Kapital is a government initiative while Richworks as a sponsor conducts the training.

“We (Richworks) are sponsors and we do classes for Wanita Bangkit Berniaga and MyKasih Kapital. They help those who want to further their business.

“So when you get the funding, you can call me and we can proceed with the registration.

“If you want it easy, we have a few clients who do it like this: they use their money first and then they also apply for MyKasih,” the person said.

One participant who went through the WBB seminar told The Vibes: “After the Wanita Bangkit Berniaga programme, Richworks informed us of its MM programme.”

It is understood that this refers to the company's Marketing Mentor programme, which she said costs RM1,000.

In another testimony, Nor Haedayah Kaulan, described as a “kuih batang buruk” mogul, is quoted on the WBB website as saying that she was struggling with her business before attending Richworks’ programmes.

She said that at one point she had to pawn her gold bangles to attend the MM programmes, but the sacrifice was worth it since she made profits in the end.

Incidentally, Richworks once released a press statement to clarify that Richworks speaker Datuk Azizan Osman did not obtain a PhD from University Malaya.

Among Azizan’s academic qualifications, Richworks said, is a Doctor of Science (Metaphysics) from Gordon University, Florida. – The Vibes, December 1, 2021