"THE DUSUNS WERE GOOD FARMERS AND STILL ARE. YET, SADLY, NOWADAYS THERE ARE HARDLY ANY LOCALS WILLING TO COMPETE WITH THE TIMORESE AND FILIPINOS."

Avoid fate of the Sabahan youths in KL: Masidi

Kota Kinabalu: Graduating students have been told to avoid the predicament that befell the 200-odd jobless Sabahan youngsters in Kuala Lumpur who reportedly depend on free food from charity homes and rough it out in the open at night.

"It is impossible, for any person who is reasonable and hardworking enough, not to find a job," State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun told graduates of Cosmopoint International College of Technology (ICT).

He urged them to think out of the box and not depend solely on government jobs either as openings in the civil service were very limited due to the Government trying to keep it's workforce to a minimum.

"Initiatives should, therefore, be taken to venture out into the highly competitive private sector," he said. "Do not waste the sacrifice of your parents which enabled you to be where they are today."

On the unfortunate young Sabahans in the nation's capital, he said it was difficult to fathom how two million foreigners could be working in Malaysia while a mere 200 of our own remain unemployed.

He said it all boiled down to attitude. "Youngsters must have the guts to pioneer into other fields and sectors, especially in agriculture.

"The Dusuns were good farmers and still are. Yet, sadly, nowadays there are hardly any locals willing to compete with the Timorese and Filipinos."

He said it was time the younger generation of Sabahans changed their mentality and were willing to "get dirty" and shared his own experience being a labourer, typist and even a door-to-door salesman during his younger days.

"Any job is honourable as long as it is honest and Halal.

One must not be ashamed of working hard to escape poverty, but it is shameful for someone to remain poor and not do anything to excel."

Some 16 students received their diplomas during the ICT convocation at the Menara Maybank building.

All students scored with the least being 3.70 C.G.P.A and the highest being 3.98.