From P Ravishankar
I am an ordinary citizen running a small training provider business teaching First Aid & CPR (I am the trainer) to companies or organisations that require such training.
Since last March, I have not received even one request for a training programme, hence, I can safely say that my company has earned “zero income” for the year 2020.
I have been unemployed for almost a year now. The training business is highly competitive, therefore the share of the pie gets smaller as more training providers appear in the market. This is the real situation for a normal citizen like me.
I am 54 years old and have considered closing my business for good since last March but no one wants to employ me, hence I am in a quandary. I am going through depression on a daily basis unknown to my family members and friends.
My training business is HRDF-registered and I pay RM1,000 as an annual levy towards the “prestigious” HRDF, also known as the Human Resources Development Fund.
Now, we have received a circular saying that another so-called fee of 4% will be charged for every programme that I conduct. This is on top of the RM1,000 annual fee mentioned earlier.
My first question is, as an organisation, is HRDF looking after the training needs of the local workforce or is it a private organisation sucking money out of small training providers like us.
I have been informed that HRDF is imposing a 4% levy to fund initiatives on upskilling the Malaysian workforce. My second question is, why does a training provider like me need to provide the funds for this initiative? Shouldn’t this come from the HRDF board itself?
A programme called E-Latih was recently launched by HRDF. It’s a free programme with lots of courses including First Aid & CPR.
My third question is, how is my business ever going to survive with competition from the “prestigious” HRDF who is offering my skill for free?
The honourable leaders of my beloved Malaysia say that they are taking care of normal citizens like me but are they really? I am doing my best for Malaysia but what are the leaders of this country really doing for a normal citizen like me?
Am I going to be just that one voice with no say who must descend into darkness forever? Can one concerned leader of this country come forward to answer my questions?
P Ravishankar is an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
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