DEWAN RAKYAT NEWS-IN-BRIEF: DEC 3

GOVT MULLS MyKAD-BASED SOCIAL AID MECHANISM - DEPUTY MINISTER

KUALA LUMPUR -- The government is studying a proposal to transition from the current subsidy schemes to a MyKad-based social assistance system, said Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying.

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She said, however, that the government’s immediate priority is to ensure the effective implementation and smooth operation of existing programmes, namely the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA).

“The government remains committed to monitoring the current situation and ensuring that existing subsidy schemes continue to benefit Malaysians as they navigate rising living costs,” she said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

She was responding to a question from Vivian Wong Shir Yee (PH-Sandakan), who asked whether the ministry would consider replacing existing government subsidy schemes with MyKad-based social assistance following the successful rollout of the SARA distribution mechanism.

-- BERNAMA

OVER 10,000 WARDENS SERVING IN MOE INSTITUTIONS AS OF SEPT 30

KUALA LUMPUR -- A total of 10,214 wardens were serving at Ministry of Education (MOE) institutions as of Sept 30, said Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh.

He said that of the total, 9,428 were teachers, while the remaining 786 were appointed from among non-teaching staff.

Wong said that for boarding institutions, 600 full-time assistant dormitory wardens would be appointed under the Malaysia Short-Term Employment Programme (MySTEP) to strengthen security oversight and ease the workload of existing wardens.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Wan Saifulruddin Wan Jan (PH-Tasek Gelugor) on whether the MOE planned to appoint or expand the role of student management assistants who could also serve as dormitory wardens.

-- BERNAMA

140 COOPERATIVES BENEFIT FROM PAKAR INITIATIVE - RAMANAN 

KUALA LUMPUR -- A total of 140 small and micro cooperatives have benefited from the Accounting and Auditing Assistance to Small and Micro Cooperatives (PAKAR) programme, said Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.

He said the initiative, implemented through the Malaysian Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM), provides financial assistance of up to RM3,000 for qualified cooperatives in Peninsular Malaysia and up to RM3,500 for those in Sabah and Sarawak.

“This programme also includes guidance on account evaluation and the auditing process, enabling cooperatives to present audited financial statements at their annual general meetings,” he said in response to a question from Cha Kee Chin (PH-Rasah) regarding the government’s plan to reactivate cooperatives categorised as inactive, during the Dewan Rakyat’s oral question-and-answer session today.

Ramanan added that Co-operative Institute of Malaysia (IKMA) is also carrying out a cooperative rehabilitation initiative aimed at training and guiding inactive cooperatives with the potential to resume operations, through a more targeted and structured approach.

-- BERNAMA