Kula: May Day no rest day for cabinet members
SINGAPORE:
May 1 is marked as International Labour Day throughout the world to
celebrate the working class and it is an annual public holiday in
many countries including Malaysia.
However, it will not be a
“rest day” for Malaysian cabinet ministers tomorrow as each of
them have been tasked by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to
prepare a paper on issues related to their respective
ministries.
They have to take turns to present them to Dr
Mahathir from 2pm until an “indefinite” time in Putrajaya on May
Day.
This was shared by Malaysian Human Resource Minister M.
Kulasegaran during a “get together” session with the Malaysian
diaspora here last night.
The Ipoh Barat Member of Parliament
himself has to put off his plans to celebrate the “off-day” with
his wife who will be coming down to Kuala Lumpur (from Ipoh).
“I’m
also excited (to celebrate May Day). My wife also is coming to Kuala
Lumpur. After that we (plan to) drive back to Ipoh. We will spend one
or two days there and I will come back to Kuala Lumpur.
“He
(Dr Mahathir) decided last Wednesday like this. You all have the (May
Day) rally and everything… finish…take two hours rest and (after
that) all of you come to PM’s office.”
For his Ministry,
Kulasegaran, who was here leading the Malaysian delegation to the
Special Session of the ASEAN Labour Ministers and Singapore
Conference on Future of Work, will prepare a paper on “job
creation.”
“We ( Cabinet members) wanted to say that we
don’t agree (about presenting the papers on May Day) but at his age
he is so anxious to get things done. We were just looking at each
other and said God tell me..what is happening,” he said in
jest.
But on a serious note, Kulasegaran described Dr Mahathir
as “one of the driving forces.”
“I was telling my
officers.. In my opinion I think he works like three ministers
together. Some times we always wonder. I think he cheated his age. I
think he is only 60. Really industrious. I can’t believe that there
is this kind of a man. So overwhelmed.”
