Failure to force employers to decently compensate interns.
I am deeply disappointed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who refused to address the plight of interns in the country. Yesterday, he said that while he acknowledges that interns deserve to be decently compensated and should not be treated as free labour, he failed to force employers to do so.
I’d like to share my internship experience from last year. As a precondition for graduating, I had to intern in a corporate office in Bangsar South. My employer said they could only “compensate” me RM200 per month for my three months there.
But the amount was hardly enough for me to cover the costs to get to work. My daily commute (combination of LRT, bus and MRT) cost me around RM17 per day. On top of that, there’s hardly any affordable eateries in the vicinity. Lunch would easily cost me RM10.
On top of that, when I worked late, I had to spend extra on dinner and pay for ride hailing, which is safer as the road leading to my house can get quite dark at night, especially for a female.
There’s no way the monthly RM200 allowance / stipend / “pity money” could ever see me through my stint there. I do not come from a rich family and my parents are barely making ends meet while I am dependent on my PTPTN loan to fund my studies.
This is why I am utterly disappointed that the Prime Minister is washing his hands on this issue, except to advise employers to treat interns better. We do not need platitudes, Mr Prime Minister! We need solutions from your Madani government.
As Prime Minister you can instruct your Human Resources Minister to introduce laws to set a minimum rate for interns. Your government should keep in mind that many are doing internships because it’s a precondition for graduating. Employers know this and many are taking advantage of “free labour”.
Interns are not asking to be paid on par as fresh graduates. But there must be a dignified quantum, to at least help them cover the costs of showing up at the workplace.
The views expressed here are strictly those of Veronica Ooi from Kajang.