THUMBS UP: Awang Tengah (second left) shows the items on sale at Leni Spice, together with Belawai assemblyman Len Talif (fourth left) and Semop assemblyman Abdullah Saidol (left).KUCHING: The Bumiputera community must stop using financial constraints or lack of business opportunities as excuses for not venturing into the business sector.
Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said they should also eradicate the culture of becoming dormant shareholders in profit-driven companies.
Launching Leni Spice at Jalan Satok here yesterday, Awang Tengah said there were quite a number of places to obtain financial aid and training for different businesses, including from the Sarawak SEDC.
“The government is always on hand to help those in need of financial support, promotions or training. We (Bumiputera) have to become catalysts for development. We must nurture a determination for success.
“Let us not make money as the problem that hinders a person from starting a business.”
In terms of business opportunities, he said one area worth exploring was the halal market. He said the state government was bent on turning Tanjung Manis into the biggest halal hub in the country, and the Bumiputera community should brace themselves to take full advantage of this initiative.
“The global halal market has reached RM2.3 trillion presently, while the halal market in Malaysia is worth only about RM1.9 billion. The halal hub is aimed at drawing investors into the state, and I do not want the Bumiputera community to
become spectators sitting on the sidelines.”
On Bumiputera entrepreneurs who are dormant shareholders, Awang Tengah cautioned: “When a person becomes a dormant shareholder, they would not learn anything from the business.
“You should work closely with the other races, especially the Chinese, who are leaders in commerce and industry.”
Touching on the Government Transformation Plan (GTP), he explained that it was meant to transform the nation into a high income society by 2020.
When this target is achieved, the gap between the poor and the rich would narrow substantially, irrespective of whether they are in the rural or urban areas.
“When the gap is too wide, it would cause problems to the nation in terms of unity and safety.”
On Leni Spice, a sundry shop which sells fresh food items from Belawai, Awang Tengah said its establishment would enable locals and tourists to taste delicacies from the Melanau community.
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