MPs need to promote the registration of MSMEs to obtain entrepreneurial assistance

23 March 2024

By Nabalu News Reporter

KUALA LUMPUR: Members of Parliament are urged to inform Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in their respective areas to register with various agencies under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDC) such as SME Corp to access various assistance to further develop their businesses.

The Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk Ewon Benedick, said that in addition to financing, agencies under MEDC implement various training and entrepreneurial guidance programs for entrepreneurs including micro-entrepreneurs.

Ewon said that the National Entrepreneurship Institute (INSKEN) among others provides guidance programs to strengthen entrepreneurs' businesses so that they can penetrate international markets.

"I ask the Honorable Members to promote to MSMEs in their respective areas to register with SME Corp through the SME Corp website for free. Within 2 days of the MSME registration, the MSME certificate will be issued," he said during the oral question session in the Dewan Rakyat, here, yesterday.

Ewon responded to an additional question from Roshan Hashim (Kulim Bandar Baharu) who asked about the role of MEDC in developing micro-entrepreneurs besides providing loans and the role of MEDC in relation to the fact that many MSME entrepreneurs have not registered with SME Corp to access various financial assistance for their businesses.

Ewon said that MEDC implemented an informal entrepreneur performance plan last year with the goal of registering more informal entrepreneurs in the country.

"We are aware that about 77% of the approximately 1.2 million MSMEs in our country consist of micro-entrepreneurs and require a lot of assistance including guidance, financing, and so on," he said.

According to Ewon, the registration cost as an MSME company in SME Corp is currently free.

"Under SME Corp, we have provided subsidies for free, for example, we cover the costs for them to register as an MSME company up to RM100, which is still free at the moment because we received additional funding last year," he said.