Business groups urge govt to address economic issues

Crowd puller: Visitors checking out the exhibition held in conjunction with the 100-Day Malaysian Family Aspiration programme at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

PETALING JAYA: As the Cabinet marks its 100-day milestone, business groups are urging the government to address issues that continue to hamper their sectors amid the pandemic.

Small and Medium Enterprises Association national secretary Yeoh Seng Hooi said it was good to have less politicking and more focus on economic matters.

“For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the shortage of skilled workers is acutely felt, so the government needs to address this.

“The short-term strategy includes bringing in skilled foreign workers,” he said.

Yeoh added that the government’s procurement should not be used mainly to support economic restructuring but to create opportunities for all SMEs through targeted allocations and competitive tenders.

“Increased matching grants for automation and digitalisation will help SMEs move up the value chain and promote exports,” he said.

He added that SMEs had to pivot away from a high dependence on the domestic market for growth.

“The government should continue to promote export success stories and encourage cross-border e-commerce,” he said.

Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia president Abd Halim Husin lauded the Health Ministry and International Trade and Industry Ministry for standing out in managing the pandemic, but said there were “national issues” that needed to be looked into urgently.

He expressed concerns that banks were not extending the moratorium on loan repayments to the right groups.

“Currently, they are only giving loans to those who are eligible based on the assessment they have now.

“Some industry players who are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic did not receive the aid they needed,” he said.

Abd Halim also highlighted the problem of the increasing prices of goods and cost of production for all sectors.

“Importing goods from other countries is not helping because the ringgit is weak,” he added.

He called for incentives to be given to entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector to help them be more productive and safeguard food security in the country.

“The incentives can include the purchase of machinery and adoption of digitalisation to market directly to consumers,” he said.

The Barisan Nasional/Perikatan Nasional government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob marked its 100-day performance yesterday.

Ismail Sabri had announced during the unveiling of his Cabinet on Aug 27 that the newly-appointed ministers were given 100 days to achieve their performance targets once taking office.