KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — The government has always offered opportunities to middle-level companies to help boost their status to regional and international stature, a deputy minister told the Dewan Negara today.
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Hamim Samuri said the effort was a continuous initiative to ensure that the companies were competitive and have the zeal to move to higher levels.
For instance, he said, the ministry and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) jointly organised the acceleration programme to identify and further groom middle-level entities.
“Such programmes have long been implemented in several countries such as New Zealand, the United States, Germany and Singapore. The programmes have proven to have empowered, strengthened and bolstered middle-level companies to international stage.
“Such programmes can also propel the country to become a high-income nation,” he said when replying to a question from Senator Noriah Mahat during the question-and-answer session in the August House.
Hamim said middle-level companies are grouped in two categories — manufacturing with RM50 million to RM500 million in annual sales and services industries with a yearly sales turnover of RM20 million to RM500 million.
He also said the government hosted various developmental programmes and activities to help middle-level firms to be strong and sustainable.
Among the programmes conducted are upgrading capacity and efficiency of the companies, organising specialty forums and workshops to improve industrial skills and sales acumen, he said.
The companies are also encouraged to adopt innovative approaches and implement technological applications apart from establishing innovative labs for product development to broaden their market, product sales and services.
Hanim said the government also established diagnostic laboratories to evaluate every programme participant and to identify critical barriers to entry and priority markets for the economic growth of every company.
Replying to a supplementary question from Senator Norliza Abdul Rahim who wanted to know whether the ministry gave special attention to women entrepreneurs to continue their business despite the trials and tribulations in the business world, Hamim said the government had always provided vast business opportunities to women just like their men counterparts to actively participate in business.
He said it has been proven beyond doubt that women entrepreneurs were more hardworking in business by introducing diverse innovative products.
Hamim gave an assurance that the government would continue to introduce various intensive programmes to empower women entrepreneurs to enable them to succeed in business on par with their male counterparts. — Bernama
