SME are the most flexible arm of our economic community - YAB Pehin Sri

Aid to continue for SMEs

by Lee Ya Yun, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on November 17, 2012, Saturday

LEAVING A MARK: Taib signs on a board to declare open the new Kubah Ria Complex as Ragad, Jabu (second left), Masing (left), Talib (right) and others look on. — Photos by Kong Jun Liung

Flexibility of small and medium scale enterprises a boon to state’s economy

“Ibarat anak bongsu yang perlu lebih banyak dibantu berbanding anak sulung dalam sebuah keluarga, be­gitu juga pendekatan kita ambil dalam menambah dan memajukan bilangan peniaga Bumiputera,” jelas YAB Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud..

KUCHING: The state government will continue to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as its ability to survive in an economic crisis will continue to put the state’s economy in a resilient and flexible position.

Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud explained yesterday that even though SMEs would most likely be hit during economic downturns, the sector would bounce back when the economic storm passed.

“Small and medium scale businessmen are the most flexible arm of our economic community. We want that
flexibility to exist because of the behaviour of the modern economy,” he said at the opening of the new Kubah Ria Complex at Jalan Matang here.

“There is always a business cycle, up and down, crises and boom, and that is the way we expand.

“We take the development of SMEs as one of the best ways to make our business community resilient.”

Taib added that the need to continue helping SMEs was also driven by population pattern, adding that SMEs could serve the remotest corners of the state.

He assured that the state government would not practise favouritism when providing assistance to SMEs.

“Although Sarawak SEDC had been entrusted to help Bumiputera entrepreneurs, we do help non-Bumiputera entrepreneurs as well because in the development of business we can’t separate Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras,” Taib said.

He said the key reason the government was giving Bumiputera entrepreneurs an extra push was because they started relatively late in business compared with non-Bumiputeras.

“It is always our vision for Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras to work together. We always believe that Bumiputeras could learn good business practices from non-Bumiputeras,” he said.

“We will continue to help SMEs, irrespective of whether Bumiputera or non-Bumiputera ones, because SMEs play a great role in improving our economy.”

On a related matter, Taib opined that an entrepreneur’s attitude determine the success of his or her business.

Likening an entrepreneur to a driver, he said the ability of a businessperson to get to the desired destination largely depended on his/her driving skill.

Apart from the need to have a correct attitude, entrepreneur should have the initiative to equip themselves with relevant knowledge in order to stay competitive.

“More importantly, you must provide good and quality services to customers so that they would come back again. You need to be sensitive to change and adapt to change.”

Assistant Minister of Tourism and SEDC chairman, Datuk Talib Zulpilip, who also spoke, said the new Kubah Ria Complex had a total of 93 units, of which 44 are food stalls.

This RM22.3 million project was completed on August 2010.

The new Kubah Ria Complex, he added, came about following the redevelopment of the old Kubah Ria premises which was built in 1983 with a total of 59 units.

The new complex, which is equipped with modern facilities, is aimed at providing a better business environment for local entrepreneurs, with the hope of increasing their revenue.

Also present were Taib’s wife Puan Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar, and State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani.