KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The unity government’s commitment to establish the Malaysian Gig Economy Commission (SEGiM) proves its concern to protect the rights and welfare of gig economy workers and companies.

P-Hailing Malaysia chief activist Zulhelmi Mansor said the setup of the commission could unravel all the problems faced by the gig industry players.

He said the problems commonly experienced were having to deal with uncertain income rate as well as termination or suspension of accounts as e-hailing or p-hailing riders without being given the opportunity to defend themselves.

"We see that we still have not found a solution to what we have been fighting for... so where can we (gig players) air all our grievances? For that reason, we see the need to set up SEGiM,” he told Bernama here today.

During the Gig Industry Career Framework National Forum held at the World Trade Centre today, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave the assurance that the government will establish SEGiM as soon as possible.

Ahmad Zahid added that the government intends to increase the allocation for the gig industry to RM500 million in Budget 2024 from RM100 million in Budget 2023.

Commenting on the allocation increase Melaka e-Hailing Association secretary Kamarulzaman Ahmad said the news came as a relief because it could make the gig sector more secure and thus help spur economic growth.

"Alhamdulillah, so far we are provided social security protection under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) but we riders don’t just want protection on the road, more importantly, we want our general welfare to be protected,” he said. — Bernama