National Unity and Integration Department will come up with an action plan to tackle racial discrimination faced by the Malays and Indians when they apply for jobs in the private sector, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P Waythamoorthy said.
“The unity department is looking into the matter and in the progress of formulating an action plan to overcome this issue,” he said without divulging further details.
The activist-turn-politician was responding to a study carried out by the Centre for Governance and Political Studies, which found that Malays and Indians are likely to experience discrimination when applying for jobs.
Waythamoorthy said all Malaysians should be given an equal employment opportunity.
“There should not be any form of discrimination in Malaysia. We would not know whether they are qualified without being given a chance.
“I hope the employers will focus on uniting the rakyat via employment for all races because this will optimise our workforce,” said the de facto national unity minister.
Meanwhile, Waythamoorthy also cautioned the politicians, namely from the opposition, against harping on racial and religious sentiments to garner public support.
“The previous Umno administration under former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak chanted ‘1Malaysia’ slogan which promoted national unity and that we live as a big family.
“However, they had dumped this concept after they became the opposition. It is not healthy for a country that celebrated independence for 62 years. We should not harp on religious and racial issues.
“For the sake of the country, I advise all politicians to be careful of the statements they make. Do not destroy what we have built all along,” he added.
