Don T Ali Baba Your Projects Perak Mb Tells Cooperatives

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Cooperatives that receive projects from the state government have been reminded not to engage in “Ali Baba” practices or sell these projects to other parties.
Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad said such business practices are detrimental and do not add value to the cooperative’s progress and development.
“If an application is approved, the cooperative should not engage in ‘Ali Baba’ practices because it would result in the cooperative only receiving a fraction of the benefits while others profit from the project,” he told reporters after officiating the Koperasi Masjid Perak Berhad’s 27th annual general meeting in Ipoh today.
To prevent such practices, he said the state government would scrutinise the qualifications of each application, and if they meet the criteria, the project may be awarded to the respective cooperative.
Saarani highlighted that the state government plans to develop the Lumut Maritime Industrial City and the Automotive High Tech Valley.
He expressed confidence these projects will succeed due to support from the federal government.
“Therefore, I want cooperatives not only to see the opportunities from these projects but also to have the strength, preparation and expertise to capitalise on them,” he said.
He urged all cooperatives in the state to focus on applying for high-impact projects rather than relying solely on small-scale businesses to generate income.
Connecting SMEs for int’l expansion
Separately, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said efforts to assist small and medium-sized local companies in expanding their overseas market penetration must be enhanced to put them in a more favourable position.
He pointed out that it is vital to assist these companies in developing a strong network with their overseas counterparts to market their products.
“Such networks are needed for small companies with capital of perhaps just tens of millions of ringgit. Job and product marketing networks are important.
“For halal products, (the capital) obviously won’t reach hundreds of millions (for a small company) but this is important in terms of lifting the position of the small and medium-sized companies.
“(Medium-sized companies in terms of retail chain or product sales) obviously would not (have sales) worth billions but (such assistance) will provide a critical network for small and medium-sized companies in Malaysia,” he told the Malaysian media in Samarkand, Uzbekistan at the end of his official visit to the country today.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Uzbekistan President Shavkat MirziyoyevHe said the Uzbekistan-Malaysia High Level Business Forum at the Samarkand Silk Road Complex on Saturday, which he attended along with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev, received an exceptionally strong reception from Malaysian and Uzbek companies.
“(The attendance) reached 200 companies including major companies owned by the government or the private sector. It is estimated that trade commitments worth RM710 million were achieved at the forum.
“However, I expect that discussions among them (the companies) in one or two days will lead to a significant increase. It is just that they have not signed (collaboration agreements) so we have not announced it,” he added.
In 2023, Malaysia recorded bilateral trade with Uzbekistan totalling RM451.1 million, with exports to the Central Asian country amounting to RM449 million and imports worth RM1.99 million.
Anwar arrived in Tashkent on Friday to kick off a three-day official visit to Uzbekistan. - Mkini

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