Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has said that the government is seriously considering paying monthly income supplements to employers, in order to encourage them to employ graduates and non-graduates.

In an Easter message today, the DAP secretary-general noted that one of the government's key criteria is job creation.

"Employment not only provides for the family’s livelihood, but work also gives a person dignity and respect. The government must invest in creating jobs with an income, not at minimum wage, but approaching the level paid to government civil servants,” Lim said.

He stated that jobs must be created for unemployed graduates as well as non-graduates.

"One initiative being considered seriously is monthly income supplements paid by the government to employers to encourage them to employ graduates and non-graduates.

“This may be costly, but nothing can be more rewarding than to give a person work where he can afford to feed his family,” he added.

He reminded the people that leaders were meant to be their servants and are tasked to ensure a better life and standard of living by being honest, hardworking and performance-oriented.

'Three years to put M'sia back on track'

Guan Eng made a biblical reference to a time when food during the years of plenty had to be stored to prepare for the hard years of famine.

"Unfortunately in Malaysia, we are paying for the corruption of the previous government whether in the form of the RM50 billion 1MDB scandal, RM17.8 billion Tabung Haji scandal or Felda RM6.23 billion scandal."

"Fortunately we do not need seven years but three years to recover, rescue and restore institutions whose money were stolen as well as to put Malaysia back on track economically."

The federal government would not be corrupt like the previous government that made Malaysia famous as a global kleptocracy, he pledged.

The minister also took a veiled shot at Kelantan’s purported inability to pay its civil servants, a matter which had been a point of contention between him and MPs from the state last year.

"Neither will the federal government see Malaysians become poor like certain states without job opportunities and not even able to afford to pay the salaries of their civil servants.

"We must create jobs for those without work under the previous government. Only then can Malaysians be infused with optimism that life will be better for their children and that the hopes of the future will be brighter."