Image credit: New Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR (March 14): The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) is urging the government to address thin margins faced by the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who are undertaking contracts awarded by the government, government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs) to ensure there is a sufficient spread.
"Based on experience, MEF notices that the margins today are 8/10% only. With such margins, the MSMEs make very small margins and it is very difficult to reinvest to upgrade their operations' efficiency," MEF said in a statement on Monday (March 14).
As such, the federation proposed that GLCs and GLICs offer fair margins to MSMEs when awarding contracts, so that the extra funds earned can be used to offer better benefits for the company's employees and upgrade their technology.
"Only with a fair margin can we get our small businesses to grow their talent and technology to compete regionally. We really appreciate the long-term vision of the prime minister and internationally. Therefore, there is a need for the government to assist to uplift the MSMEs' local businesses," it highlighted.
The MEF issued the statement following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's call on GLCs and GLICs over the weekend to direct their efforts this year towards the three areas outlined in Budget 2022, namely the rakyat's well-being, helping businesses restore their capabilities and competitiveness (via initiatives such as business financing and support for MSMEs under the GLC/GLIC ecosystem), and to help build a prosperous and sustainable economy.
MEF said it hopes its appeal for better margins for smaller businesses will be considered in due course, as the concept of the lowest price in tenders may not be a good approach for MSMEs' businesses.
"MEF thanks the prime minister and the government for the initiatives to ensure that GLCs and GLICs support the Malaysian private sector businesses. MEF is of the view that it is very important to support the growth of the middle class and MSMEs' businesses.
"MEF totally agrees with the prime minister that support from the GLCs and GLICs to create new quality and value-added jobs for the middle class and the businesses especially the MSMEs will go a long way. The GLCs and GLICs have strong financial resources and the targeted projects as lined up by the government to implement," the federation said.
It also noted that both the GLCs and GLICs' ecosystems comprise about 25% of Bursa Malaysia's market capitalisation, provide direct employment to 500,000 employees, and play a critical role in Malaysia's supply chain.
As such, the MEF said it recognises that GLCs and GLICs play critical roles to ensure positive outcomes are met through the planned actions for the prosperity of Keluarga Malaysia in the short, medium, and long term.
Source: https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/mef-calls-putrajaya-address-thin-margins-faced-msmes-taking-govtlinked-contracts