4 theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 23 2008

news without borders

Two options available for axed electronics workers, says Najib

by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Retrenched work-
ers in the electronics sector should
look into alternative jobs available
in the market or take up the govern-
ment’s training programme, Deputy
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak said yesterday.
He said that since the sector
depends largely on export and there
has been a severe downturn in the
United States and European markets,
the demand for these products has
plummeted and some companies
may be thinking of downsizing.
“We can look at it in two ways.
First, there are other jobs available. So,
they should go to the labour exchange
and find out what are the other jobs
available,” he told reporters at the
Federal Territory Mosque.
“Second, there is a plan put
forward by the Human Resources
Ministry to enable them to take up a
retraining programme with monthly
allowance. Some of these workers
can be retrained during the time they
are out of work so that they are able
to be employed in future.”
Earlier, Najib, who is the finance
minister, delivered the keynote address
and held a dialogue with the ulama
(Muslim scholars) in a regular session
between the ulama and the leaders.
He was asked to comment on the
possibility of retrenchment being on
the rise in the electronics sector, fol-
lowing the anticipation of a recession,
especially in Singapore.
Najib said Malaysia is not going
into recession but only undergoing a
slowdown in economic growth.
“It doesn’t appear that we are going
into recession as yet ... slowdown yes,
recession we don’t think so as yet.”
Asked about reports the govern-
ment plans to unveil a strategic
package of measures in February and
its preparation to unleash another
multibillion ringgit stimulus package,
if necessary, he said: “We don’t know
yet. It all depends on the global eco-
nomic situation. We are monitoring it
very closely on a daily basis.
“Our concern is we want to protect
the rakyat as much as possible and to
ensure there is some growth in the
real economy.”

MACC Bill

MB under fire for passed

THE Dewan
yesterday passed the
Negara

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com-

mission (MACC) Bill 2008 which,
among others, is to enhance the
At the Dewan Negara
number of students, followed
by China and Iran.
The number of Indonesian
students stands at 9,348, fol-

comments on HIV carriers

IPOH: Gerakan deputy
president Datuk Chang Ko
Youn hit out yesterday at a
suggestion by Perak Mentri
Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad
Nizar Jamaluddin that HIV
carriers must never be allowed
to marry and should instead be
quarantined for treatment.
Describing the idea as
primitive, Chang said such
an idea had been condemned
internationally and was
unacceptable in solving the
AIDS problem.
No open discussion on religious issues: Zahid
SHAH ALAM: Any discussion on
religious issues should not be done
openly to preserve racial harmony,
Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad
Zahid Hamidi said yesterday.
Instead, he said, such discus-
sions or dialogues needed to be
held behind closed doors so that
those involved would be able to
better understand the religious
similarities and differences.
“The more such discussions are
held, the further apart we will be.
Therefore, our contention is that
there should be less such discus-
“The carriers must be
treated as human beings and
not ostracised. It will only
alienate them from society and
push carriers to keep secret
their problem,” he said in a
statement.
“It will fuel the spread of the
disease if things are wrapped
up and carriers are not
prepared to come out openly to
seek treatment.”
Chang, who is also the Perak
Gerakan chairman, said the
suggestion only showed the
sions but more racial integration
activities, such as holding functions
together to honour religious lead-
ers which can improve relations
between people of different reli-
gions,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said he had
asked senior officials of the Is-
lamic Development Department
Malaysia (Jakim), Institute of
Islamic Understanding Malaysia
(Ikim) and Yayasan Dakwah Isla-
miah Malaysia (Yadim) to meet of-
ficials from the Unity, Culture, Arts
and Heritage Ministry to draw up
new guidelines for better religious
Perak mentri besar’s ignorance
and failure to understand the
disease.
He said it also showed the
government campaign on
awareness had failed “because
political leaders are still
ignorant, what more laymen”?
Chang urged political
leaders to study the matter
carefully before making
such unhelpful and divisive
suggestions which, he said,
could take society back to the
Dark Ages. – Bernama
understanding, and not religious
integration.
He was speaking to reporters
after opening the 4th Islamic Re-
ligious Enforcement Officers and
Syariah Prosecutors’ Conference
and launching the Code of Ethics
for Religious Enforcement Officers.
The cabinet had suggested
recently that officials from the
ministry and Jakim discuss drawing
up a sound mechanism aimed at
ensuring that any arising religious
issue would be explained properly
to the public so as to preserve racial
harmony and unity. – Bernama
integrity of the public and private
sector with the setting up of an
independent and responsible anti-
corruption commission.
It is also to educate public au-
thorities, public servants and the
public about corruption and its ill
effects on public and private ad-
ministration and the community.
Winding up the debate on the
Bill, Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Seri Mohamed
Nazri Abdul Aziz said the govern-
ment supported the giving of
higher wages to MACC staff as
their duties were challenging and
risky in eradicating corruption.
“I hope the Public Service
Department (PSD) will take this
matter seriously as we all agree
The carriers that fighting corruption is a serious
matter,” he said. – Bernama
must be
treated Foreign students to
as human top 80,000 by 2010
beings THE number of foreign students
and not in Malaysia is expected to reach
ostracised. 80,000 by 2010.
It will only Deputy Higher Education
alienate Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung said
Malaysia could have 80,000 for-
them from eign students pursuing higher
society education as the number of
and push such students has been rising.
carriers “Some 63,000 students from
150 countries are here to pur-
to keep sue higher education,” he said
secret their when replying to Datuk Azian
problem,” Osman.
– Chang Ko Indonesia leads the list of
Youn countries with the highest
lowed by China with 9,081 and
Iran with 5,531. – Bernama
Trespassing into
forest reserves
THIRTY-EIGHT cases of trespass-
ing into permanent forest reserves
were reported this year,.
Deputy Natural Resource
and Environment Minister Datuk
Maznah Mazlan said between
RM1 million and RM3 million in
compound fines were issued to
the trespassers.
“Twenty-seven of the 38 cases
are being investigated and inves-
tigations into the other 11 cases
have been concluded,” she said in
reply to a supplementary question
by Heng Seai Kei. – Bernama
27,000 PPR units
under City Hall
THERE were 27,102 People’s
Housing Project (PPR) units
under the maintenance of Kuala
Lumpur City Hall at the end of
November. Of these, 22,381
were occupied and the rest
vacant, Deputy Federal Territory
Minister Datuk M. Saravanan
said.
Replying to Datuk Syed Ali
Alhabshee, he said the break-
down of occupants according
to races in the 23 PPR areas is
46.14% Malays (12,506 families),
20.88% Chinese (5,658), 14.59%
Indians (3,953) and 0.97%
others (264).