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KUCHING, June 19: Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim has advocated for companies to provide an allowance to interns instead of requiring them to perform unpaid labour.
According to a MalayMail news report today, the allowance can cover the interns’ travel and food expenses.
Anwar clarified, however, that this would be left up to companies and that the government would not set a policy on it because internships are not mandatory.
“The government will not determine a clear policy because this is an internship programme that cannot be forced.
“And the more companies take interns, the better for our youth,” Anwar said, as quoted by the national daily.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister mentioned that the issue was brought to his attention during a dialogue he had with Malaysian youths.
He remarked that the youths were aware that internships were merely opportunities for exposure to and practise in a particular industry and not a substitute for actual employment.
Anwar also revealed that as the leader of the Opposition in Parliament at the time, he used to take in interns.
He noted that the additional allowance for opposition MPs was only RM1,800, and that he was forced to find funds to pay his interns at least RM1,000 at the time.
Additionally, the Prime Minister explained that, in addition to providing interns with experience, he considered their travel and food expenses, as well as the work they did in assisting him and their understanding of issues such as the Federal Constitution.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Employers Federation president, Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman, stated in February of this year that making it mandatory for companies to pay interns will discourage employers from offering internships.
As per the information provided on Wikipedia, an internship is a temporary work opportunity extended by an organisation to individuals, usually students and graduates, with the aim of acquiring pertinent skills and experience in a specific field. — DayakDaily
