It is a pity that the Ministry of Human Resources has not yet come up with a compelling vision for human capital development.
One of the major weaknesses that has plagued the ministry over the years is an inability to use the tripartite system of consultation involving the government, employers and unions to develop such a vision.
This is in contrast to Singapore, which uses the system of consultation to upskill and reskill workers
Common principles of nation-building have made the tripartite system a cohesive platform of progress.
In the six decades of Barisan Nasional or Alliance rule, the tripartite system was basically in name only.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
There was an absence of consensus among the government, employers and unions. Neither was there a long-term strategy.
It was all about how to ensure cheap labour and maximise profits for corporations.
The new government in 2018 made efforts to highlight the critical aspects of technical and vocational education and training in building strong human capital.
But the government collapsed after 22 months, which hampered efforts to build a vision for human capital development.
When the movement control order was imposed in 2020, the tripartite consultation between the government, employers and unions disintegrated.
It is crucial that the current human resources minister prioritises the tripartite system of consultation and act with a determined purpose to come up with a strategy and mechanism to upskill workers. – New Straits Times
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
The tripartite system can only work well only if there are strong unions to push which is not the case in Malaysia. Employers have to accept unions and not see them as enemies. But also unions should not be used to control workers as in Singapore. There must be equality in the playing field.