SANDAKAN: A Cabinet committee has been set up to boost the sales and export of Malaysian products as part of efforts to reduce reliance on imports, says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister said the committee, which was approved by the Cabinet on July 15, would coordinate initiatives currently being carried out separately by several ministries.
He said the committee, to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, would determine the policies, direction and strategies needed to strengthen the promotion, use and purchase of local products.
“We will determine suitable targets at the Cabinet committee level, including the impact on sales value,” he told reporters after launching the Jom Malaysia Festival here yesterday.
Armizan said his ministry was finalising the committee’s terms of reference and would convene its first meeting as soon as possible.
He said the committee’s cross-ministerial approach was crucial because the responsibilities for producing, marketing and selling local products span several ministries.
“At present, various initiatives are being implemented by different ministries but many operate in silos.
“We want to bring all of these together so that we can assess their effectiveness and actual economic impact,” he said.
State governments will also play an important role, although the Cabinet committee will initially comprise only federal ministries, he added.
Among the ministries expected to be involved are the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry, Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, Plantation and Commodities Ministry, Finance Ministry and Economy Ministry.
Armizan said private-sector initiatives would also be incorporated, citing “buy local” programmes run by e-commerce platforms such as TikTok and Shopee.
While imported products provide consumers with greater choice and lower prices, he said their impact on local micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as consumer safety, must also be taken into account.
“E-commerce regulation falls under our ministry, while imported goods also involve the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Customs Department,” he said.
As such, the government must strike a balance when dealing with imported goods sold through online platforms.
On Jom Malaysia, Armizan said it is a long-term national initiative rather than a one-off campaign, built on four main pillars.
The four pillars, he said, are making the purchase of local products a national movement, adopting a whole-of-nation approach, expanding the initiative beyond goods to include services, and opening wider domestic and international markets for Malaysian products.
Jom Malaysia, which was launched in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, is a revamped version of the Buy Malaysian Goods campaign introduced in 1984.
More than 100 local entrepreneurs, industry players and strategic partners are taking part in the three-day Sandakan festival, which ends today.
