Topic
#explainer
2 articles
The 1.25% Coming Out of Every Job: What the Gig Workers Act Actually Gives Malaysian Riders and Drivers
Since the Gig Workers Act 2025 came into force on 31 March 2026, platforms in Malaysia have been deducting 1.25 per cent of every completed job from riders and drivers and paying it to PERKESO. Most people affected know the deduction is there. Far fewer know what it buys — or that the same Act gives them rights that have nothing to do with money. We read PERKESO's own FAQ, issued the day the Act took effect, and the Bill text tabled in the Dewan Rakyat. The deduction funds Plan 1 of the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme at RM157.20 a year, which covers free treatment at government hospitals, 80 per cent of insured income during sick leave from a work accident, RM500 a month if you need constant care and a RM3,000 funeral benefit. The provisions almost nobody talks about are elsewhere: a platform can suspend your account for a maximum of 14 days while it investigates, must tell you in writing, and if it finds no reason to deactivate you it must reinstate you and pay half your average daily income for the days you were locked out. Here is the full picture, with the figures.
Nobody Has the New MyKad Yet — Printing Is Paused Until 31 August, the Card Drops Touch 'n Go, and Losing Yours Twice Still Costs RM310
Here is the part almost every write-up got wrong: as of 26 August 2026, nobody in Malaysia has been issued the new-generation MyKad. What began on 1 June was a supply contract, not a card. JPN said the roll-out starts only after an official launch by the Prime Minister, which has still not been announced, and on 8 June the Home Minister said plainly that JPN would keep issuing from existing stock until it ran out — enough for "another two to three months". Those two to three months are up, which is exactly why MyKad printing nationwide is disrupted from 26 to 31 August 2026 while JPN switches over, with the department advising anyone without an urgent need to postpone. The new card also quietly drops a feature Malaysians have used for two decades: it will not work as a Touch 'n Go card. What has not changed is the money — RM10 to process, and RM110, RM310 or RM1,010 if you lose yours. Here is the corrected timeline, the fee tables re-read from jpn.gov.my this week, and what to do if you actually need a card right now.