Gunsalam (centre) receiving a memento from Foo.
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Sabah (SME Sabah) has been commended for acting as the bridge between the state government and the business community.
Deputy Chief Minister II Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam paid tribute to the association for this role and at the same time urged the group to continue outreach programmes to other outlying areas outside of the state capital.
This, he said, was for the benefit of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) throughout Sabah.
"My Ministry is ever willing to assist where needed," said Gunsalam, who was also the state Local Government and Housing Minister, at SME Sabah’s Chinese New Year Chap Goh Mei 2024 event here on Saturday (Feb 24).
During his tenure as the state Industrial Development Minister (MID) from 2020 to January 2023, he said enjoyed working closely with SME Sabah president Prof Datuk Foo Ngee Kee.
"In recognition of SME Sabah's contributions to supporting MID's programmes and providing suggestions to resolve the challenges faced by MSMEs, SME Sabah was appointed a strategic partner of MID in December 2021, while I was the minister.
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Foo on his appointment as part of the Economic Advisory team by the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor," he added.
Gunsalam said SME Sabah had played a vital role as a bridge between the government and the MSME community, especially in disseminating information with regards to the various government programmes to assist the MSME.
He said SME Sabah also helped in promoting economic growth, fostering networking opportunities and encouraging collaborations among the many business associations and communities like in Saturday’s luncheon
"This will benefit the business community as well as increase the state's GDP (gross domestic product)," he said.
Gunsalam said he was also happy to see the presence of representatives from various other chambers of commerce at the event namely the Kadazandusun Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Sabah, Sabah Indian Chamber of Commerce, Sabah United Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"This truly represents the uniqueness of Sabah's unity and diversity in action.
"Chinese New Year is a time for renewal and reflection, an opportunity to honour the deep-rooted traditions passed down through generations.
"As we celebrate Chap Goh Mei, let us also reflect on the racial unity and diversity that define us Sabahans Malaysian and contribute to the Malaysia Madani and Sabah Maju Jaya visions for all Malaysians in Sabah," he said.
Also present were Sabah Industrial Development and Enterprenuer Minister Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe; Plantation and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin and state Finance Assistant Minister Tan Lee Fatt, among others.
