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Ikim research officer Nor Hartini Saari said “roughly RM500 million” had been expended in retraining. “However, according to the Minister, only 1,400 graduates have been employed after participating in the aforementioned training scheme.”

Commentary by Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives

Najib Razak’s 2010 Budget is called ‘1Malaysia, Together we prosper’. Before the advent of the Prime Minister’s multi-million ringgit public relations sloganeering, his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had already introduced the ‘Prosper’ theme.

Abdullah in his Oct 30, 2005 budget speech announced ‘Prosper’ or Projek Pembangunan Usahawan dalam Bidang Peruncitan to assist graduates venturing into business. Under Prosper, Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB) would finance 200 graduates up to RM50,000 each; that easily amounts to RM10 million.

Prosper is an ongoing programme and this year, its attachment training will allow participants to intern in PUNB investee companies. The cost of ensuring this prosperity is, however, not open to public knowledge.

Nonetheless, the RM10 million allocated in Abdullah’s 2006 Budget is clearly a drop in the ocean compared to the RM700 million set aside in Najib’s March 10, 2009 mini budget. The latter’s stimulus package planned to create 163,000 training and job placement opportunities for retrenched workers and unemployed graduates.

Of this number, 50,000 will be absorbed into the civil service, adding to its already obese size and bloated payroll. It is important to note that under the RM191.5 billion 1Malaysia Budget, 72.2% is for operating expenditure, out of which RM42.2 billion is for emoluments. Furthermore next month, a “special financial contribution” (announced earlier) in the form of a year-end bonus totalling RM400 million will be paid to public sector employees from Grade 41 to Grade 54.

Khazanah – ‘treasuring’ human capital

It is true that other parts of the world are similarly facing the problem of workers getting laid off and school leavers unable to find jobs due to the depressed global economy.

READ MORE HERE

Comments (29)

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written by joeawk, October 28, 2009 14:04:30

Welfare state ala malaysia. 1Malaysia welfare state or 1UMNO welfare state.

A nation going nowhwere but down.

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written by budakindia, October 28, 2009 14:07:51

Prospering by imposing credit card tax and removing fuel subsidies! That's correct Najib! You want to see your own car industry and economy collapse! Please go right ahead! MAS is already dying! I want to see Proton & Plus too!

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written by asguard, October 28, 2009 14:13:34

There goes other large section of our money down the drain.... ! 1malaysia middle finger sign!

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written by Son of Odhin, October 28, 2009 14:30:25

The problem we have in this country is more on working knowledge. Let me give you a good example. I interview many local IPTA grads every week. 95% of them have very very poor command of english and technical knowledge. But they carry B.Sc from the biggest degree mill in Malaysia (UiTM). The next is vision for the next 10 -15 years. Graduates (most of them) are so pampered and spoon-fed that they cant take pressure when it comes to working life. Complaints and rants are common. Instead of addressing these problems, Najib and his 1Malaysia grandplan is only robbing the nations wealth by absorbing these graduates into government employment whose workforce and salary payout has already ballooned to an unimaginable level for a country of this size. we asked for a horse to compete in the global race but instead Najib is adamant using his donkeys which he claims is a horse. This megaplan of this Najib is only going to screw our already ailing economy. PUNB would finance upto RM50k for each graduates to start up ? INGAT INI LU BAPAK PUNYA DUIT KA ?

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written by Diz, October 28, 2009 15:07:48

We all understand the problems facing fresh grads, especially those from IPTAs, but it seems to me that the major factor here is simply one of numbers. Malaysian higher education policy has been focused on 'massification' for at least the past 15 years (arguably since the early '80s) resulting in a huge increase in the number of graduates.

In the early 90s around 10% of the 17-23 age cohort was in further education compared to around 30% today (depending on what you call higher education). Has the economy grown three-fold since then? Has the demand for graduates increased by 300%? Obviously not, hence the unemployment problem.

The issue of unemployable grads is, of course, a whole new ball game.

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written by hellosunshine, October 28, 2009 15:08:15

Dear Son of Odhin, the worse part is when they dangled a carrot in front of these 'graduates' to help them get motivated, these bastards kept a few bushels of carrots for themselves aka 'Prosper' program.

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written by AtanSian, October 28, 2009 15:12:12

I have met a local university graduate who gave me his name card saying "Mining Engineer" of a large private organisation. He could not for the life of him, convert gallons per hour to liters per minute, even after I helped him offerring the info that 1 gallon is about 4.5 liters. And he is employed! What about those not selected.

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written by citizenmy, October 28, 2009 15:53:13

What outcome you expect from a system consisting of Jaguh Kampung Minister, Jaguh Kampung Teachers, Jaguh Kampung Universities and Jaguh Kampung Lecturers? Only 1 outcome we can expect..CRAP!

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written by Bigjoe99, October 28, 2009 16:05:12

One of the question I find interesting that is not discussed more is that supposedly Najib plan to 'liberlise' more of the economy and 'open' up the civil service i.e., introduce more meritocracy. Does it make sense to increase meritocracy in the economy first BUT not the education system? We all know the past 'meritocratic' change to education is a sham. Does it make sense then to change toe economy to be more meritocratic when they go to schools that are not meritocratic? When the NEP was first implemented, education was the first place they changed. It follows that it makes more sense to change the education system to be meritocracy first BEFORE anything else?? But no, those smart leaders think they can change the economy first and not the education system first and there will not be problems?

Of course maybe the truth is they don't plan to change the economy to be meritocratic in the first place!!

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written by Jan, October 28, 2009 18:10:51

There's no way this regime can implement anything meritocratic. They believe too much in their ketuanan crap and they are still instilling this crap in BTN indoctrination courses into young malay minds to believe they are the masters of the land. To be meritocratic as a way of life will reduce them to bystanders in their own country, that's why they can never ever change.

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written by sydput, October 28, 2009 18:11:04

Najib giving bribes to majority malay voters again in terms of easy access to education, employment and benefits. Anything done unjustly and unfairly, will never work.

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written by Jan, October 28, 2009 18:22:13

As long as this regime is in power don't expect any meaningful change. Their unwillingness to change the decades old NEP policies are making us an uncompetitive economy which caused reduced FDIs and a sliding standard of education not to mention the sliding value of our ringgit. I dread to think what would happen to the country if they continue these policies for the next 5 years because that's when we start importing oil. We really are screwed big time. Better make plans to get out while you still have time.

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written by miwaki, October 28, 2009 19:12:33

Yes,together we prosper."We means those who walk in the corridors of power" not the 28 million malaysians ! Rasuah can make you prosper also.

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written by cheemengwong, October 28, 2009 19:41:55

I hired 2 diploma holders and they cannot understand English. Worst they can't read and write in English. All emails are in BM to English speaking customers. Many communication problems.

How to prosper if we cannot communicate?

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written by Malaysiaputra, October 28, 2009 19:46:31

ritten by AtanSian, October 28, 2009 15:12:12
I have met a local university graduate who gave me his name card saying "Mining Engineer" of a large private organisation. He could not for the life of him, convert gallons per hour to liters per minute, even after I helped him offerring the info that 1 gallon is about 4.5 liters. And he is employed! What about those not selected.

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This is what Mahathir meant when he said our graduates are for our own country's consumption. Graduates that no one wants except Malayisan companies forced to employ them by govt regulations.

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written by orangbukit, October 28, 2009 20:08:28

It is certainly nice to know that we old farts has job security for we speak English and can do gal/hr --> lit/min conversion.

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written by cantab, October 28, 2009 20:10:59

Unemployed graduates, if you have good results, better apply and join the universities as tutors. Once you joined a university, you will be guaranteed a place to do a master (local/overseas) and then your PhD. Then, after obtaining your PhD, you are given kenaikan pangkat khas as pensyarah kanan DS52 at a very young age (equivalent to a pengetua cemerlang who is in his/her 50s). I have seen many young DS52 pensyarah kanan (who is not senior at all, actually; instead the "kanan" comes by just getting a PhD) in a local university.

My advice to the government -- (1) please do not send the undeserved lecturers/tutors overseas if they could not make the grade. I have seen many attempted the IELTS several times, and once they for a 6.5, it's just like striking a lottery because more than half a million of wang rakyat will be spent to sponsor them. These lecturers know that government will keep sponsoring them even if they fail. So, many of them purposely fail to complete and ask for extension of study. (2) Those who Fail to complete within 3 years in their PhD, ask them to come home! Emulate the rules and conditions of other scholarships like Chevening etc. (3) Send only those study courses which are not available in our country. If available, do locally!! (4) Make sure they study, not work to get extra money on top of their stipends full monthly salary. My neighbour who works in a university in Perak is going to the UK soon. But he has been looking for possible job that he could do instead of thinking about his PhD. Government officers can easily check if these lecturers work or not (instead of concentrating on their PhD) by ... (need me to illuminate??)(5) Those who fail to complete, get them to pay back in full. Guess the nice Mercedes/BMW they they got back could should be sold to pay back (the RAKYAT)

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written by lawa88, October 28, 2009 20:59:29

Many of my contemporaries in govt service were always looking for ways to go overseas. Many could not pass the IELTS (English) test to make it. Those who make it spend their time overseas 'jolly' reading Playboy magazines and watching XXX movies. Sigh!!! Wasting Rakyat money

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written by SiHangChai, October 28, 2009 21:50:27

Quality graduates or 3rd class graduates who are unemployed?

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written by cheekhiaw, October 28, 2009 21:52:15

What do you suppose 'graduates' passed by thieves, by way of quota some more, can do?

No paper nor title can make hide an idiot.

xxx

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written by Sutha, October 28, 2009 23:17:58

UNEMPLOYED because UNEMPLOYABLE

Keep giving tertiary education seats to Morons and Imbeciles because of NEP!

This is the Garbage Out. Both the Intakes and the University Academic Staffs are Garbage In!

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written by smeagrooo, October 29, 2009 06:59:39

has anyone checked what these retraining exercise training provide for the jobless? It is just another half-baked idea to make sure some cronies and those sitting behind the desk in the HR Ministry to make a fast buck in giving out projects n approvals.

Those attending these sessions are paid by the govt. All they need to do is go there, sit n listen and pocket some RM. Heck, anyone can apply as long as they r not employed. Doesnt matter if those training exercise interest them. Some ppl doze off, absent. And of cos some training centres are a joke itself.

The best part is those sitting behind the desk in HR Ministry is laughing to the bank.

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written by aisyalam, October 29, 2009 08:36:50

Bolehland...kick talents out...thank god I got kicked out or else I'll be as useless as local grads n their lecturers

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written by KangrooCourt, October 29, 2009 09:48:26

Satu lagi project "Barisan Najis ". Who supported them will get the carrots.. and with greats of benefits too.

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written by jaz, October 29, 2009 11:37:15

If these kind of people get to go overseas. Surely I'm more qualified. I want to go abroad and read playboy too. Easy life, on the Rakyat's expenses and my father's tax money. Why not?

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written by jaz, October 29, 2009 11:41:01

My father paid so much tax to send other people's children overseas. But he couldn't afford to send his own child overseas. Is this fair? Those graduates are not even worthy of it. They are neither poor nor qualified.(Most of them anyway)

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written by born2reign, October 29, 2009 12:43:40

I think if these NEP graduates can work as domestic maids in Phillippines, it will help them in their English.

Also, it will help to crush these NEP graduates of their over-inflated egos. You see, if a brain is full of ego, no additional information can be absorbed by the brain, much like trans-fatty acid around our body cells. So all the learning (nutrition) cannot be absorbed. The end result is still premature death after prolonged illness and drugs intervention to hide the symptoms of over-inflated ego.

Also by working in Phillippines, these NEP graduates can bring in more currencies INTO Malaysia, so Najis doesn't have to spend millions and billions on retraining.

This is a serious consultation to this current mammoth problem of unemployment.

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written by DontPlayGod, October 29, 2009 22:06:52

I agree with one of the writers above that the Government should not waste precious funds by sending their master race to overseas universities. Their command of English is so horrible that even a Form 3 school kid from an international school will laugh at them.

My son, who is a graduate of a prestigious universitiy mentioned that he had to re-write a joint project report by one of his master race coursemate. In the end, she failed her semester examination. To UMNO, don't waste time sending your master race to prestigious universities. These universities are not like your local Government universities, where even those who can't write a simple project paper can graduate with distinction.

As for such graduates, not to worry, as I have said all along, the Public service departments are one big welfare department which can absorb tens of thousands of such people and pay them for nothing. This is how UMNO gets the support of such people.

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written by born2reign, October 30, 2009 07:07:18

You want a job? Study in university. Retire on EPF.

You want to be successful in business? Don't enter university. Contribute to society, contribute nothing to EPF. Enter the market arena, listen to customers complaints, find solutions, be rich. Get out of your comfort zone. Go overseas to a non-Malay non-English speaking country. Feel the real competition.

Those who have the misfortune to get into university using NEP standards, does not mean you have failed. It just means you are weak in goal setting and uncomfortable in competition. These skills can be learnt. But attitudes must be developed under pressure.

No one learnt swimming with only 1" deep of water. You can only learn swimming once you jump into the deep water.

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