Reports by MARTIN CARVALHO, RAHIMY RAHIM and TARRENCE TAN

       HE role of government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs) must be reviewed to ensure all government assets are optimised to support the national infrastructure and economic recovery, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

       The former prime minister said GLCs should not be competing with the private sector in order to strengthen entrepreneurship in the country.

       “They should instead invest in high-impact fields including exploring new markets locally as well as internationally,” said Muhyiddin while debating the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) in Parliament yesterday.

       The Pagoh MP also suggested the 12MP focus should be on creating jobs especially related to high technology, including the manufacturing and service sectors, to boost capital and talent development.

       He added that the government needed to continue taking proactive measures under the National Employment Council to reach the target of creating 500,000 job opportunities this year.

       “So far, a total of 376,000 job seekers had successfully found employment under government initiatives,” said Muhyiddin.

       Under the initial phase of the 12MP, efforts to identify those who are unemployed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic should be a priority, he added.

       “This is vital as part of the government’s efforts to formulate proactive strategies and action to provide specific forms of assistance according to the reality on the ground,” he said.

       He also urged the government to be attentive to those previously in the medium income (M40) household category, but are now categorised as B40 due to the pandemic.

       “The initiatives and strategies outlined under 12MP must be sustainable and focus on the distribution of wealth, growth and opportunities that can be accessed across all groups, including the rural community, Bumiputra, Malays, Orang Asli and those in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

       Muhyiddin said he also supported the implementation of the High Speed Rail project but suggested it be expanded north to also include Bangkok.

       He said this would result in economic growth worth billions of ringgit that would benefit the rakyat.