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Disabled find new life
in Socso programme
by Meena L. Ramadas
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Some 566 disabled persons
have found a “new life” under the Social Security
Organisation’s (Socso) Return to Work (RTW) pro-
gramme that was started two years ago.
Human Resources Minister Datuk S. Subra-
maniam, who formally launched the programme
yesterday, said the 566 who were rehabilitated
and put back into productive life were from 740
referred cases. Socso is continuing to find jobs
for the rest.
“We are undergoing a major transformation
from being an organisation which has been solely
giving monetary benefits to one that is focused
on improving the productivity of disabled work-
ers,” he said.
The programme members are aided through
their vocational and physical training by case
managers. So far, there are nine case managers
who are based here, but Socso aims to increase
that number to 34.
“We need case managers throughout the
country because the programme is intensive,”
said Subramaniam.
Beehoon makers see red
over shortage of broken rice
BEEHOON manufacturers have threatened to
move their factories to other countries if the
government does not overcome the shortage
of broken rice, the main ingredient for making
beehoon, or rice vermicelli, the Chinese press
reported yesterday.
At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on
Sunday, Beehoon Manufacturers Association of
Malaysia president Datuk Ang Cho Teing pointed
out that the government’s policy to subsidise
15% broken rice has resulted in a serious short-
age of the commodity, to the extent that very
poor quality broken rice is also fetching good
price.
“Lately, Bernas (the country’s sole rice im-
porter) had been providing beehoon manufactur-
ers with poor quality, greyish broken rice that is
meant for making animal feed.
“The beehoon produced with the rice also
looks greyish and is of poorer quality,” he said,
lamenting that despite its low grade, the broken
rice costs as much as RM1,350 a tonne.
Ang said many of the association’s members
have already received complaints about the poor
quality of their products from consumers.
He said domestic sales had dropped by about
10% so far this month and export had also con-
tracted due to a shortage of raw ingredient for
producing beehoon as well as the poorer quality
of the product.
He said although Bernas said it would take
delivery of a consignment of rice from Pakistan
at the end of this month, it was not able to
Chinese groups to meet Muhyiddin on education issues
DEPUTY Prime Minister and Education Minister
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will meet seven Chinese
groups on May 26 to discuss the teaching of Math-
ematics and Science in English, Nanyang Siang
Pau reported yesterday.
The groups are Dong Zong (United Chinese
School Committees Association), Jiao Zong (United
Chinese School Teachers Association), Hua Zong
(Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia),
Seven Major Clans Association, United Chinese
School Alumni Association of Malaysia, Nanyang
University Alumni Association of Malaysia and Tai-
wan Graduates Alumni Association of Malaysia.
Dong Zong president Dr Yap Sin Tian, who is
Apim to press for removal of word ‘keling’
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor and Federal
Territory Angkatan Pelopor India Muslim (Apim)
said yesterday it respects the court’s decision
allowing the word “keling” to remain in the
Kamus Dewan but will continue to press for it to
be “erased completely” from that publication.
Its chairman Rami Abdullah said they will
still engage Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (DBP) on
this matter, as they feel the word is “deroga-
tory” to the Indians.
He said they may also seek the prime
| TUESDAY MAY 19 2009
Socso is also trying to make the programme
available throughout the country. “Our long-term
goal is to try to make the programme available
regionally,” he said.
Socso currently uses at least 12 rehabilita-
tion service providers in several states for the
RTW programme but is now planning to have its
own rehabilitation centre to serve as the physi-
otherapy and vocational training centre of the
programme.
“We have already purchased the land and
managed to secure funding. The centre is already
in the preliminary stages of building. The initial
budget is RM80 million,” Subramaniam said.
Subramaniam is hoping that the centre,
slated to be located in Malacca, will be ready
in three years.
“What we are focusing on is employability. We
plan to focus on that in a specific rehabilitation
centre,” said Subramaniam.
All Socso contributors, who were injured in
the course of work, are eligible to apply for the
RTW programme.
For more information about the programme,
contact the Socso hotline at 03 - 4257 5755 or
e-mail Socso at perkeso@perkeso.gov.my.
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
give an assurance that the shortage could be
overcome.
“On top of that, it will be sold to us at RM1,500
a tonne, at a profit of RM500 (a tonne),” said
Ang.
“If beehoon manufacturers themselves
source broken rice from overseas, they can
have it delivered to Port Klang for only RM1,000
a tonne,” he lamented.
He urged the government to either put a stop
to the monopoly by Bernas, which is burdening
manufacturers with extra cost of production,
or to limit the profit margin of Bernas to 5-10%
and ensure that there is ample supply of broken
rice.
“We have urged the government to look into
our plight on a number of occasions but to no
avail.
“While waiting for the government to respond
to our latest distress call, we are making ar-
rangements to visit Vietnam, Cambodia, India,
Pakistan and China, and we are not discounting
the possibility of moving our factories to these
countries,” said Ang.
At present, up to 70% of beehoon consumed
in the country is supplied by the 30 local manu-
facturers.
currently visiting China, confirmed to Nanyang
that he had already been notified of the meet-
ing.
He said the seven groups had earlier made a
joint request to the deputy prime minister for a
meeting on education issues.
Yap said the Chinese groups will submit to
Muhyiddin a memorandum on their request for
the teaching of Mathematics and Science to be
conducted solely in Mandarin in Chinese primary
schools.
The coming meeting will be the first for Muhy-
iddin with Chinese groups since assuming the
post of deputy prime minister last month.
minister’s intervention, and called for support
from MIC and Gerakan, failing which it will again
pursue legal action.
On Thursday, the High Court dismissed
Apim’s appeal to remove the use of the word
in Kamus Dewan, stating that Article 8(2) of
the Federal Constitution, which provides for
the right to non-discrimination, applied only to
individuals and not an association, and DBP was
only carrying out its statutory duty by inserting
the word in the dictionary’s third edition.