Communication needs to be enhanced to disseminate accurate information

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 -- Problems in communication and information delivery systems regarding government policy have become one of the reasons why many incentives provided by the government have failed to reach the people.

FAR Capital chief executive officer and founder Faizul Ridzuan said that this has prevented the people from getting clear information on certain issues.

In this regard, he said that it is very important for the government to enhance the information delivery system so that all information on incentives provided by the government can be accurately disseminated.

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“Previously, we were 'bombarded' with SST (Sales and Service Tax) was better than GST (Goods and Services Tax). The GST system is good, but we did not communicate it well.

“Just look at Singapore, which imposes GST of seven per cent. It has been able to provide COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG) to the people until December as it has high savings reserves,” he said.

He was speaking in the ‘Temu Minda: Budget 2021 and Young People’ programme, hosted by Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, broadcast via Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) Facebook page.

Also featured as a panel member was Internet Society regional community engagement manager (Asia Pacific) Aishah Shakirah Suhaidi.

Faizul, who is also a real estate entrepreneur, said that the same thing also happened in housing when the people often raised about affordable housing issues while the government has already provided such facilities.

At the same time, he also saw the 2021 Budget as a budget for young people even though it was not clearly stated and described it as better than the previous budget.

This can be seen with the proposed establishment of the National Employment Council which will create more than 50,000 job opportunities as well as an allocation of RM1 billion for 200,000 trainees for skills upgrading and retraining programmes or 'reskilling and upskilling’, he said.

Meanwhile, Aishah said that apart from financial assistance, young people, especially students, need easy, fast and secure internet assistance at an affordable price to go through learning in new norms.

She said the case involving Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student Veveonah Mosibin was not an isolated case, as it happened a lot throughout the country which required the government to expand broadband facilities more efficiently.

-- BERNAMA