KUALA LUMPUR: A council to study the implementation of a minimum wage in several sectors should be set up so that locals will take up jobs currently held by foreigners, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek suggested.

The MCA president said the time had come for the Government to fix a minimum wage as some salaries were below the poverty line.

Dr Chua said the council could comprise members from both the Government and private sector.

“This will reduce the reliability on foreign workers and encourage locals to take up jobs in these sectors,” he told reporters after attending the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) briefing by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala at Wisma MCA here yesterday.

Dr Chua said the good response at the briefing showed that the people were concerned about the GTP’s implementation.

“We usually encounter a situation where a programme is good but its implementation is weak,” said Dr Chua. “There should be close monitoring to ensure these weaknesses can be rectified.”