Chamber wants more government support for SMEs

The Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) wants the government to offer more support for the backbone of the country's economy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in Budget 2016.

Its deputy president, Tan Yew Sing, said 90 percent of the businesses in Malaysia were SMEs and the chamber would like to seek the government's help, especially in encouraging more bilateral trade with other countries such as China.

"Every year China will be the home for several expositions from January to December. The local SMEs need help to tap these opportunities.

"The government can help by providing more resources and focus in order for the SMEs to penetrate the international market," he told reporters at the briefing for the 2015 Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo here today.

Tan said, the chamber also hoped that there would be more access to finance for the SMEs as well as the establishment of a structure to provide fast loan for them.

"We also hope Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who will table the budget on Friday, will announce some funding for mobile internet, not only to assist the business people but also the younger generation.

"The chamber wants to be a job-creator and not a job-seeker, hence the internet world is the way to go," he said, adding that China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd was now among the biggest e-commerce company in the world.

Alibaba is a Chinese e-commerce company that provides consumer-to-consumer, business-to-consumer and business-to-business sales services via web portals.

Meanwhile, Malay Businessmen and Industrialists Association of Malaysia (Perdasama) Kuala Lumpur president, Datuk Mohd Fauzi Zakaria, said the association hoped the government would provide incentives for the SMEs who wanted to promote their products globally.

Mohd Fauzi, who is also the association's SME bureau chairman, said the SMEs could also use some budget for training.

MCCC and Perdasama today held the briefing today for those who will be participating in the three-day expo in Guangdong.

The event, starting Oct 29, has attracted 1,000 local companies. It will promote products mainly from the food and beverages industry, porcelain, silk and building materials.