KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) has called upon the government to address issues related to mega projects and the minimum wage so that the ‘shared prosperity’ economic approach meant to benefit the rakyat can be attained.
MTEM chief executive officer Ahmad Yazid Othman said that all mega projects should be examined independently by Parliament, especially those awarded to political parties, to ensure that they are free from executive interference.
Yazid also called for such projects to be awarded to local industry players as well as Bumiputera entrepreneurs instead of giant international conglomerates.
“There should also be a lot of high-impact mini projects compared to small mega projects, which come at a very high cost," he added.
Yazid said MTEM also recommends that the government reduce the number of foreign workers in the country, so that Malaysia transforms into a high-skilled economy rather than one associated with low-paid labour.
He said MTEM also calls for the thorough implementation of anti-discrimination laws in the employment sector.
“The council also proposes that the minimum wage increases in stages to reach RM1,500 a month before the next general election,” he added.
MTEM is an umbrella organisation representing more than 50 Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the national level and 120 NGOs at the state level. It claims to represent over 500,000 Bumiputera businesses.