Taxi drivers?
The article below is taken from New Strait Times, dated 1st of March 2007.
New Straits Times
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn was lambasted yesterday for neglecting unemployed Bumiputera graduates.
Umno Youth Public Complaints Bureau chairman Datuk Subahan Kamal said many graduates had resorted to driving taxis as they could not find employment in the private sector.
He said the ministry had to assume responsibility for their plight.
"We have highlighted the matter to the ministry before but officials have chosen to sweep the problem under the carpet," he told reporters after highlighting allegations of discrimination against Bumiputera employees by Giant Hypermarket in Shah Alam.
He said the ministry should enforce a 30 per cent quota for Bumiputeras at all levels in the private sector and ensure that locals were given preference over foreigners.
Workers at the hypermarket complained that foreigners were being favoured over locals and that locals received lower wages.
They had also claimed that there were few opportunities for career advancement in the company.
The letter, sent to the Prime Minister’s Department, also alleged there were no Bumiputeras in top management positions in the company.
Giant Retail (M) Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Datuk John Coyle, who had earlier met Subahan over the matter, told reporters that 80 per cent of staff in the company were Bumiputeras.
He said there were 123 Bumiputeras in lower and middle management with three in top management positions.
Coyle said the company had to resort to foreigners for menial jobs.
However, the company was committed to increasing the number of Bumiputeras at managerial level.
Coyle added that 80 per cent of Giant’s customers were Bumiputeras and there was no discrimination against them.
"We have always preferred Bumiputeras over foreigners."
Subahan said his meeting with Coyle was fruitful and that some of the complaints raised by staff were unfounded.
Many bumiputras resorted to driving taxis? Hmm… that’s an interesting fact. How many is that many?
Every year our local universities alone churn out about 20,000 graduates. In a report released by the Sun last year, some 70% of the 20,000 are unemployed.
Let’s do the Math.
70 percent of the 20,000 = 14,000
Bumiputra’s in local uni’s = 70 percent (as I remembered from the Star’s report)
Hence, 14,000 multiplied by 0.7. It gives 9,800.
If many resorted to driving taxis, how many out of the 9,800? Well, you figure out. Frankly, I don’t think you are able to see 5,000 taxis (not forgetting the ongoing ones) in Kuala Lumpur itself.
Finger-pointing again. Sighs. Can’t the unemployed be less demanding (you are fresh graduates anyway). What dya expect? RM 3,000 per month with a personal air-conditioned office plus a new car plus house loan? Increase your market value, that will help most.
