14/10/2026

WEDNESDAY | OCT 14, 2026

3

Retrenched employees eligible for insurance support

backdrop, the government was targeting 20,000 refugee registrations under the programme in 2027, up from approximately 6,000 this year. He added that the initial target comprises 4,010 refugees held at immigration detention depots and another 2,000 living outside the facilities. He also said the registration exercise would be expanded as authorities gained experience in conducting identity verification, biometric registration and security screening. – By Harith Kamal Malaysia and Singapore will hold a technical working group meeting on Nov 5 to review the emergency response plan for Johor’s Linggiu Dam, Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said. He told the Dewan Rakyat that the review would cover flood inundation maps, early warning systems and evacuation zones. He also said sirens would be installed in critical areas to alert residents to potential emergencies and facilitate evacuations. CITIZENS TOLD NOT TO POLICE REFUGEES Malaysians have been warned against taking the law into their own hands when confronting Rohingya refugees, with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail urging the public to leave enforcement to authorised agencies. He told the Dewan Rakyat that suspected offences should be reported to the police, following concerns over videos showing individuals confronting refugees and aggresively demanding to see thier UNHCR documents. M’SIA DECLINES HAGUE GROUP OFFER Malaysia has declined proposals to co-chair The Hague Group alongside South Africa over concerns that international treaty commitments could conflict with the Federal Constitution, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said. He added that Malaysia would remain a co-sponsor of the coalition, which comprises approximately 40 countries seeking greater accountability for Israel’s actions against Palestinians. GOVT STUDYING DATA CENTRE REQUIREMENTS The government is reviewing the actual electricity and water requirements of data centres amid concerns that operators are requesting more power capacity than they consume, Energy Transition and Water Transformation Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said. He added that the Energy Commission was assessing electricity demand, particularly in southern Peninsular Malaysia. He also said data centre operators could consider generating their own electricity through solar energy or battery storage systems, subject to regulatory approval. REVIEW PLANNED FOR JOHOR DAM

BR I E F S

second quarter of 2026 also demonstrates that minimum wage increases strengthen domestic demand without undermining price stability.” He also said the government would intensify price monitoring and anti-profiteering enforcement while allocating RM700 million for 30,000 targeted Rahmah Sales programmes nationwide. Akmal said another RM50 million would fund 5,000 Agro Madani sales programmes.

could face legal action, including fines or imprisonment. Addressing concerns that higher wages could push up consumer prices, he said inflation had remained manageable despite previous wage adjustments. He added that inflation eased from 1.8% in 2024 to 1.4% last year, while remaining at 1.7% in the first quarter of this year and around 1.9% to 2% in the second quarter. “Strong GDP growth of 5.4% in the first quarter and 6% in the

o Up to six months’ allowance to help provide financial relief during job search: Minister

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

following the wage revision. Under Budget 2027, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the minimum wage would increase from RM1,700 to RM2,000 beginning June next year, benefiting more than four million workers. However, Akmal said the government recognised the need to balance higher employee earnings with business sustainability, particularly among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). He noted that businesses

PETALING JAYA: Employees who lose their jobs because their companies restructure to absorb Malaysia’s higher minimum wage of RM2,000 can receive unemployment support for up to six months, as long as they are covered by the Employment Insurance System (EIS). Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the assistance would provide temporary financial relief to affected workers

while they searched for new employment, amid concerns that the wage increase could trigger retrenchments and higher operating costs. “If adjustments to the minimum wage result in company restructuring and employee

recording annual sales below RM50 million would be exempted from the new minimum wage requirement to allow sufficient time to adjust their financial arrangements and business operations.

AT THE DEWAN RAKYAT

retrenchments, affected workers covered under the EIS will be eligible to claim benefits, including the Job Search Allowance, to support their livelihood for up to six months,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. He was responding to Sri Gading MP Aminolhuda Hassan , who sought clarification on measures to prevent job losses, rising consumer prices and additional financial pressure on smaller businesses

The MSME sector currently employs about 8.09 million workers, accounting for 48.7% of Malaysia’s workforce. He also said enforcement of the revised minimum wage would be carried out by labour departments in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak under the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011. Akmal said workers could lodge complaints against employers who failed to comply, while offenders

Akmal said workers could lodge complaints against employers who failed to comply, while offenders could face legal action, including fines or imprisonment. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

‘Child of Malay-foreign Muslim spouses can be Malay’ PETALING JAYA: A child born to a Malaysian Malay and a foreign Muslim spouse can be registered as Malay, but marrying a Malay citizen does not give the foreign spouse Malay ancestry or Bumiputera status. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said parents of children born from legally recognised marriages between Malaysian Malays and foreign Muslims could choose whether to register their child’s ethnicity according to the mother’s or father’s ancestry. descent, the mother or father may choose whether the child is registered according to either parent’s ancestry, whether Malay or that of the foreign national,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Monday. However, he clarified that foreign Muslims who marry Malaysian Malays do not automatically become ethnically Malay, as their original ancestry remains unchanged. “Marriage between a foreign Muslim national and a Malaysian of Malay descent does not change the foreign national’s ancestry to Malay. “Their ancestry remains foreign nationals.” Saifuddin also emphasised that determining Bumiputera status and eligibility for associated rights or privileges falls outside the NRD’s jurisdiction. He added that such eligibility was governed by the relevant laws, policies and conditions imposed by the respective government agencies or authorities. Under Article 160(2) of the Federal Constitution, a Malay is defined as a person who professes Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language and conforms to Malay customs, while also meeting specific ancestry or birth-related conditions linked to Merdeka Day. The constitutional definition means that professing Islam or marrying a Malay citizen alone does not automatically establish a person’s status as Malay. Asylum seekers entering country as tourists: Home minister PETALING JAYA: Some asylum seekers are entering Malaysia as tourists on social visit passes even before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has decided on their applications for refugee status, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. He said individuals from conflict “Some may be in Yemen, Syria or Afghanistan, or other countries facing circumstances that force people to leave. “They submit their applications, but before UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur has even made a decision, they arrive here as tourists on social visit passes,”he said during minister’s question time. the office to ask about the status of their applications. That is the reality.” He was responding to Putrajaya MP Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin, who questioned whether the government’s Refugee Registration Document programme could encourage further arrivals and create opportunities for syndicates to exploit the registration process. will not be given the opportunity to be considered under the (programme).” He also said Malaysia was currently dealing with approximately 225,000 refugees recorded by UNHCR, although authorities lacked comprehensive information on their identities, whereabouts and security screening status. “If a child is born from a marriage legally recognised under Malaysian law between a foreign Muslim national and a Malaysian of Malay unchanged, and the National Registration Department (NRD) does not determine or alter the ancestry of He was responding to Labis MP Pang Hok Liong, who asked whether foreign Muslims married to Malaysian Malays could be recognised as Bumiputera and enjoy the rights and privileges accorded to the community, as well as the conditions governing such recognition. Meanwhile, Article 153 of the Federal Constitution safeguards the special position of Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, alongside the legitimate interests of other communities. – By Harith Kamal

“We only have the numbers. We do not know their names, where they are, how old they are or even their addresses, let alone their security screening status.” Saifuddin said against this

Saifuddin said some applicants subsequently gathered outside the UNHCR office in Jalan Bellamy, Kuala Lumpur, seeking updates on their applications. “Every week, they gather outside

Saifuddin said the government had introduced a January 2023 cut-off date to prevent the programme from becoming an incentive for new arrivals. “Anyone who entered after that date

affected countries were applying for refugee status online before travelling to Malaysia, despite having yet to receive a decision from the United Nations refugee agency.