VARIOUS EFFORTS IMPLEMENTED BY MADANI GOVT FOR PEOPLE'S WELFARE

By Rozainah Abdul Rahim and Yasmin Ahmad Zukiman

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Various shifts and reforms that prioritises the welfare of the people have been pursued by the administration of the MADANI Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, throughout this year.

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The Prime Minister, among others, on July 6 ordered the Cabinet and the Chief Secretary to the Government to choose their birth village or other villages as the adopted village to ensure that development is not concentrated in urban areas only.

Among other initiatives to provide convenience to the people is the introduction of the Rahmah Student Prepaid Package specifically for secondary school leavers who are continuing their studies at institutions of higher learning, which coincides with current needs as more learning methods are done online.

This is because through the Rahmah Student Prepaid Package, priced at no more than RM30, students can get access to fast internet facilities for learning and completing their assignments, with the minimum initial data of 30 gigabytes for a period of 180 days.

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On July 16, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced that the package is specifically for secondary school leavers who are pursuing their studies at selected public higher education institutions (IPTA) and public skills training institutions (ILKA) and can be subscribed starting August 16 through five telecommunications service providers, namely CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile, TM Tech and YTL Communications (YES).

Meanwhile, among the new programmes and initiatives introduced by the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development (Kuskop) this year is the Tamu Desa Premises Development Programme to improve infrastructure facilities in assisting small traders in villages and rural areas, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

This year, a total of 92 Tamu Desa sites were newly built and upgraded with an allocation of RM19 million in Sabah and Sarawak.

Kuskop also launched a new initiative for Indian entrepreneurs involving additional financing funds totaling RM136 million.

Its Deputy Minister, Datuk Seri R Ramanan said that among the initiatives launched was PENN (Prosperity, Empowerment and A New Normal for Indian Women) Programme under Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) amounting to RM50 million.

Kuskop also introduced the Bank Rakyat Indian Entrepreneur Financing-i (BRIEF-i) Financing Programme amounting to RM50 million and the Business Accelerator Programme for small-sized Indian-owned companies (I-BAP) amounting to RM6 million and the SPUMI (Indian Entrepreneur Development Scheme) Goes Big Programme amounting to RM30 million.

The Two-Year MADANI Government Programme (2TM) and the National Convention on Public Service Reform 2024 which was held for three days starting on Nov 22 received encouraging response with the attendance exceeding the target, proving that the people are increasingly understanding the aspirations of the MADANI Government led by the Prime Minister.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar announced that the attendance of visitors of the programme at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) exceeded the target of 230,000, which is a good achievement where the people have begun to approach and understand the aspirations of the MADANI government.

Tracing the government's achievements throughout 2024, various initiatives continue to be implemented, including the increase in the provision of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and education.

Recognising that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector needs to be strengthened, the government on June 8 approved an immediate allocation of RM200 million through the Skills Development Fund Corporation (PTPK) to increase youth participation in the sector.

At the same time, the allocation of almost RM8 billion provided by the government is among the highest in the history of TVET education with the intention of placing the sector at the highest level like other developed countries.

To ensure that the welfare of the less fortunate is prioritised, the government has provided an allocation of RM10 billion this year through STR, with the initiative reflecting the government's commitment and resolve to ease the burden of the people in facing the rising cost of living.

Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) political analyst Assoc. Prof. Dr Mazlan Ali when contacted by Bernama said based on his assessment, Malaysia has been restored in terms of national income and investment and the Prime Minister has succeeded in bringing about more sustainable financial changes.

"If we look at several previous Budgets, the Prime Minister has succeeded in increasing national income and subsidies. At the same time reducing the deficit shows that this is among the indicators of his success in managing the country's finances.

"From an international perspective, the Prime Minister has succeeded in improving Malaysia's image and has succeeded in creating more meaningful and closer relationships with countries, thereby increasing trade and foreign investment coming into the country.

-- BERNAMA