Penang seeks RM500m aid from Federal Govt

The Penang government has applied for a RM500mil allocation from the Federal Government for various programmes, including the retraining of workers and providing business opportunities for the people, over the next two years, Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng said on Tuesday.

He said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had agreed to channel the financial aid to the state government but had not stated the amount to be given.
“I met with Datuk Seri Najib and he has agreed to provide the aid but he did not state the amount,” he told reporters here.

Lim said the application for financial assistance was made as part of the state government’s preparations to face the consequences of the current global economic downturn on workers in the state.

He said the state government had reactivated the special committee on employment and retraining of workers to handle the negative impact of the global economic downturn on workers.

“In the state government budget announced last year, we allocated RM10mil to implement various programmes to assist workers,” he said.

He said the state government had appointed a work commissioner to monitor the problems related to workers, especially in terms of worker recruitment in Penang.

“The work commissioner will liaise closely with the industries. We want closer coordination with them to assist in worker recruitment,” he said.