Inceif’s research management centre director Baharom Abdul Hamid said the measurement report is important as it makes people feel satisfied that the government is indeed channelling aid to the right people.
“Malaysia is good in giving out assistance but what is missing is how we measure its success.
“Like the MYFutureJobs programme, for example, it should be measured by how many people have been helped, how many people have experienced an increase in income, and also which segment has benefitted.
“It should be reported so that we know if the RM500 million that was spent has given a return to the value of RM750 million or RM1 billion.
“Such measurement is missing. I urge the government to do such a review and report its success so that people would be satisfied that the government is indeed channelling aid to the right source,” he said on Bernama TV’s “Mid-Day Update” programme today.
However, Baharom applauded the Pemulih initiatives by the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
“It is good that together with Socso, the Pemulih programme’s wage subsidy programme helps entrepreneurs, companies, and industry to continue to operate by helping workers get a normal income, and not just 50% income.
“Second, the MYFutureJobs programme is helping both people who have lost their jobs and need new employment as well as industries which are opening up and need extra workers.
“These programmes will help boost economic growth and empower the recovery of the nation,” he said.
Baharom added that the wage subsidy and MYFutureJobs programmes would also go a long way as they incentivise undergraduates and graduates to aggressively look for jobs as well as employers to advertise and look for the special skills that they need.
Meanwhile, commenting on the relaxation of the rules for those fully vaccinated under the national recovery plan, crisis management analyst Peter Nicoll said it was certainly a positive move towards recovery.
“In terms of crisis management, the plan is clearly working as states move through the phases in direct relation to the criteria that have been set for those changes to be implemented.
“Of course, there are still a lot of opinions out there that these moves are not enough, but in reality, it does seem to be the correct strategy at this time, as it is a positive yet cautious forward move,” he added.