Latest news with #JamalAbdillah
South China Morning Post
24-04-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Malaysia's ‘tone-deaf' health ministry slammed for lavish Hari Raya event amid staff struggles
Malaysia's Health Ministry has come under fire for organising a seemingly extravagant Hari Raya event on Tuesday amid challenges faced by healthcare workers who are reportedly underpaid and overworked. Advertisement Veteran Malaysian singers like Siti Nurhaliza and Jamal Abdillah performed at the Majlis Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2025, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended. In the wake of the backlash, Siti Nurhaliza clarified on Instagram that she had performed for free, while Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he appreciated the concerns raised and acknowledged the 'criticism received is fair'. 'Let this be a reminder for all. We'll continue working to address systemic issues for our health workers,' he said in a social media post. Without naming the singer, Dzulkefly said one of them had performed without any payment to honour the prime minister as well as healthcare workers 'from the headquarters'. Veteran Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza performed at Hari Raya event on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook/Din Kapak Abdullah These workers, he said, included guests from other agencies, ministries, universities and the private sector that have been part of the country's healthcare system.
CNA
24-04-2025
- Health
- CNA
Malaysia's health ministry under fire for ‘lavish' Hari Raya celebration amid healthcare workers' woes
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's Health Ministry has come under fire for organising a seemingly extravagant Hari Raya event on Tuesday (Apr 22) amid challenges faced by healthcare workers who are reportedly underpaid and overworked. Veteran Malaysian singers like Siti Nurhaliza and Jamal Abdillah performed at the Majlis Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2025, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended. In the wake of the backlash, Siti Nurhaliza clarified on Instagram that she had performed for free, while Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said he appreciated the concerns raised and acknowledged the 'criticism received is fair'. 'Let this be a reminder for all. We'll continue working to address systemic issues for our health workers,' he said in a post on X. Without naming the singer, Dzulkefly said one of them had performed without any payment to honour the prime minister as well as healthcare workers 'from the headquarters'. These workers, he said, included guests from other agencies, ministries, universities and the private sector that have been part of the country's healthcare system. The event has been criticised on social media by many healthcare workers including the contract doctors' group Hartal Doktor Kontrak, which called it 'tone deaf' in the face of the healthcare sector's struggles. 'Our OT (overtime) allowance is super low, claims get rejected all the time, (some) equipment cannot be purchased due to the lack of funding but at least the ministry's top management can have fun with famous artists,' Hartal Doktor Kontrak said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that garnered over 5,400 likes and 2,700 comments. 'It is disheartening to witness Malaysia's frontline health workers grappling with unpaid on-call claims, severe understaffing and perilous working conditions while the Ministry of Health chooses to host a lavish Hari Raya concert featuring celebrities,' netizen @ksampoh posted on X on Wednesday.
Malay Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Dzulkefly: Celebrities sang without charge at Health Ministry's Raya event
KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad has clarified that no payment was made to several high-profile entertainers who performed at the Health Ministry's Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration on Tuesday. In a brief statement addressing public curiosity about the event's expenses today, Dzulkefly said the performances by Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin, Norsyarmilla Jirin (popularly known as Mila AF), and Datuk Jamal Abdillah were done voluntarily, in conjunction with the attendance of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and ministry staff. 'Tok Ti (Siti Nurhaliza) attended as a guest representative of Yayasan Nurjiwa. Mila AF also did not charge a fee,' he said, confirming that Siti Nurhaliza herself had stated she was not paid for the performance. As for veteran crooner Jamal Abdillah, the Kuala Selangor MP added that the singer and actor received only 'a token of appreciation'. Previously, Jamal reportedly said he had agreed to perform at the event after receiving an invitation from the ministry secretary-general, who is a personal acquaintance. Earlier today, Siti took to Instagram Stories to clarify that she was not paid to perform at the Health Ministry's Hari Raya open house on Tuesday, saying she was there purely as a guest. 'I sang to show appreciation to MOH staff — out of goodwill, and without payment,' she wrote. The 'Aku Bidadari Syurgamu' singer said she felt compelled to speak up as her name was being dragged into an online storm. 'I don't want more people fuelling the fire just because my name was mentioned in reports about the event. 'As I said, I didn't ask for any payment. I attended as a guest and sang voluntarily. 'This clarification matters — don't use my name or image in news that isn't accurate,' she added. The event drew heavy backlash from the healthcare fraternity, netizens and politicians alike. According to The Star, many criticised the inclusion of high-profile celebrities, arguing it stood in stark contrast to the ongoing struggles faced by healthcare workers. Pressure group Hartal Doktor Kontrak also slammed the ministry's leadership, accusing them of being out of touch. 'The Health Ministry staff are happy, even though their on-call or overtime allowance is very low, claims get rejected all the time, equipment cannot be purchased due to the lack of allocations, but at least the ministry's top management can have fun with famous artistes,' the group wrote in a Facebook post.
Rakyat Post
24-04-2025
- Health
- Rakyat Post
Health Minister Addresses KKM Raya Event Backlash
Subscribe to our FREE A recent Hari Raya event hosted by the Ministry of Health (KKM) sparked criticism on social media after health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad posted photos of the gathering on Facebook. Social activist group Hartal Doktor Kontrak made a sarcastic remark of the gathering, which featured Malaysia's top singers, Biduanita Negara Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk Jamal Abdillah. READ MORE: Referring to the much-talked about issue of allowances among KKM medical staff, Hartal Doktor Kontrak said, 'If you want to reduce our allowances further, that's fine, as long as you invite more artists next year.' With the backlash having gone viral, Dr Dzulkefly responded to one made by senior consultant paediatrician Dr Amar Singh HSS on Twitter. The health minister assured that 'the person had graciously attended as a guest and performed without payment to honour PMX (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) and our healthcare workers from HQ and facilities, including guests from other agencies, ministries, universities, private sectors that have been part of the country's healthcare ecosystem.' While he did not mention who 'the person' was by name, Dr Dzulkefly was presumably referring to Siti Nurhaliza. 'Criticism received is fair. Let this be a reminder unto all. We'll continue working to address the systemic issues for our healthcare workers – that's my commitment,' he tweeted. Salam Msia Madani ❤️🇲🇾❤️ Appreciate the concerns voiced. For the record, the person had graciously attended as a guest & performed without payment to honour PMX & our healthcare workers from HQ & facilities, including guests from other agencies, ministries, universities, private… — Dzulkefly Ahmad (@DrDzul) Siti Nurhaliza and Jamal Abdillah respond to social media criticism Biduanita Negara Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza took to social media to inform the public that she was at the health ministry's Raya gathering merely as a guest and was not hired specifically to perform. She explained that she did not want more people to continue with the slander when her name was mentioned in the news about her performance at the event, reiterating that she did so willingly and did not accept any form of payment. 'I only sang because I wanted to show my appreciation towards members of KKM willingly and without being paid to do so,' she said in an Instagram post on Wednesday (23 April). Meanwhile, Jamal Abdillah agreed to perform at the event to fulfill an invitation by the ministry's chief secretary, who is also his friend, Malaysia's Raja Pop (king of pop) known for hits such as Derita Cinta, Ghazal Untuk Rabiah and Seniman Menangis said he did not set a fee, but agreed to perform for a token of appreciation, adding that he didn't care how much was being offered and just accepted any amount. 'It wasn't much, just a few thousand (ringgit) only,' he said. Allegations of systemic issues ailing KKM staff Medical workers and members of the public accused the health ministry's Hari Raya event of being in poor taste and claimed there were systemic issues within the ministry that had not been resolved. They were unhappy to see KKM hosting a lavish event as they alleged allowance cuts, delayed overtime payments, and annual salary increments that never happened. The staff who work under the ministry also say they feel sidelined, accusing the ministry of prioritising its budget on a grand event over the welfare of its employees who were overworked and underpaid. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
