It is not true 30,000 SMEs have closed, says minister



[ad_1]

The Minister of Business Development and Cooperatives, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, says that more companies have signed up to do business on e-commerce platforms.

PETALING JAYA: The Minister of Business Development and Cooperatives, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, has questioned a report that more than 30,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have closed since the movement restrictions were implemented in March.

He said an article referring to a written response from the ministry in Parliament on November 5 was inaccurate.

Wan Junaidi said that in the written response, the statistics provided on companies that had closed their operations from March to September did not only refer to SMEs, but to all companies registered with the Business Commission of Malaysia (SSM).

The response had said that, according to MUS statistics, the total number of companies and businesses that had closed their operations from March 8 to June 9 was 9,675. Another 22,794 had closed from June 10 through September.

He said the ministry also indicated that 82,555 new businesses had been registered from April 1 to July 19, showing that the Covid-19 situation did not prevent the establishment of new businesses.

“Now they were following the current trends and needs to use e-commerce platforms as their marketing medium for product or service delivery,” he said.

Wan Junaidi said the ministry, which had always been proactive, urged entrepreneurs to embrace new ways of doing business with the open knowledge provided by government agencies.

They must also adapt their businesses to the new standards, including using digital tools and intensifying their promotional strategies, and maintaining good relationships with their customers.

[ad_2]