Sheltered KL homeless during MCO to be trained for jobs, says Annuar
Those staying at shelters for the homeless and needy provided by the Federal Territories Ministry during the movement control order (MCO) will be trained for jobs in manufacturing or with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said those who qualify will be placed in jobs starting May 1, if the MCO is not extended beyond April 28.
Those staying at shelters for the homeless and needy provided by the Federal Territories Ministry during the movement control order (MCO) will be trained for jobs in manufacturing or with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said those who qualify will be placed in jobs starting May 1, if the MCO is not extended beyond April 28.
"The homeless will not be left out on the streets (after the MCO ends).
"They will be trained and screened for jobs as manufacturing operators (operator pembuatan) or as general workers for the Kuala Lumpur City Hall," he said in a video statement published on Twitter last night.
He said those who qualify to work will be transferred to a hostel so they will no longer be homeless.
"They will start a new life and will be placed under a special programme under DBKL," he said.
Annuar said about 800 of the homeless will be given job opportunities and that they are currently screening them during the MCO for physical health and their ability to work.
He said while those who qualified wait to start work, they will be moved to two dormitories prepared by DBKL and companies who employ them.
"They will be offered a salary of RM1,400 for a start as well as allowances for positions such as factory production operator and all sorts of DBKL general workers with a daily wage that will enable them to earn no less than RM1,200 a month," he said.
Multipurpose hall
This comes as manufacturers of rubber gloves scramble for more workers to keep up with global demand.
It was reported this week that the European Union has written to the Malaysian government seeking rubber glove factories to operate 24 hours a day to meet demand.
However, labour rights activists have raised fear of worker exploitation.
The factories have largely relied on foreign labour, but are unable to recruit more under the MCO which bars foreigners from entering the country.
Earlier, Malaysiakini's visit to one such makeshift shelter in a multipurpose hall in Cheras found not only the homeless staying there.
Among them were an Indonesian tour guide and a South Korean monk, who were swept up in the operations to take in all homeless people into shelters during the MCO, while they were roaming on KL streets.
According to DBKL, 71 people were sheltered in the hall including 57 men, 11 women, two children aged two and seven, and a four-month-old baby.
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Many homeless are used to their freedom and free handouts for their sustenance. All good meals are handed out to them if you care to walk around the city centres like Chinatown area. NGOs competing to give these so called homeless food until they are practically over fed.even to the extend they sometimes throw away the food they queue up to receive. They just want to stay that way for the most of them. It becomes a kind of habit for them. They know what time and where all these NGOs are stationed. All free. Very few can break their pathetic cycle and move on to blend themselves into the “normal” society. Perhaps their lifestyle is a happier one than ours if you look at it in another perspective. No need the rat race, no responsibilities, no need to pay taxes and conforming to the norms. So I doubt these people can trained to be independent the way we think. Just for a few days maybe..but when the pressure comes in, they rather be back to the streets where they come from unbathed and comfortable the way they are.
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