KUALA LUMPUR: The government will carry out a comprehensive study on the issue of salaries for graduates going into government service in an effort to champion the cause of this group.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the government took note of the data on the low salary received by the new undergraduates as stated in the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Annual Report 2018.
“We did discuss the undergraduates issue and the salary they received now compared to the income they received several years ago.
“Looking at the passage of time, we have to undertake a comprehensive study taking into account all the facts to draw up a policy to champion the cause of the younger generation especially…what needs to be tackled first and when we are in a position to help as a whole we will do it,” she told reporters after launching the “Kad Diskaun Xtra20 Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Komuter” (Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Komuter Xtra20 Discount Card) here today.
Dr Wan Azizah was asked to comment on the move by the government to overcome the low salary for new graduates in the country since 2010.
According to the BNM report, a new graduate with a diploma earned RM1,376 in 2018 compared with RM1,458 in 2010 while a holder of a masters degree earned RM2,923 (RM2,707).
Last Wednesday the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said the starting salary for new graduates in the private sector in the country had increased gradually from 2010 until 2018, unlike what was portrayed by BNM.
The employers’ group data showed that a diploma holder could earn RM1,661 in 2018 compared with RM1,458 in 2010, bachelor’s degree holder RM2,393 (RM1,993) and master’s degree holder RM3,267 (RM2,923).
MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said the data was based on the MEF Salary Study for Non-Executives and Executives 2010 and 2018 with the data gathered from member companies and published by the MEF.
Meanwhile, Dr Wan Azizah said the government left it to the court to decide whether to allow the proceedings on the case of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to be aired live via local television stations.
“That is under the jurisdiction of the court, we let the court to decide although we feel the people want to know how the trial of Datuk Seri Najib was proceeding,” she added.
She said this when asked to comment on the proposal to provide live coverage over local television stations on the trial of the misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM42 million expected to begin on Wednesday (April 3).
Wan Azizah also said that the cabinet meeting would consider whether to disclose or otherwise the report of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) to the public, which was currently placed under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972. – Bernama
