KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development (MED), which was revived by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition after it took over the reins of the federal government nearly a year ago, is on track to achieve its targets.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Yusof (pix) said since he was appointed MED minister, his three main targets were to strengthen the halal industry, reconceptualise the third national car and advance the aerospace industry.
“Currently, we are planning to unify halal logos worldwide to streamline the certification process. There have been interest from many countries since Malaysia is seen a leader as our halal certification is known globally to be the best,” he said in a group interview on PH’s one year achievement.
As for reconceptualising the third national car, Mohd Redzuan said the government was only in a position to be the catalyst to open the market for the private sector to invest.
“With our (automotive industry) expertise combined with technology from both the East and West, I believe the third national car will appeal more to the younger generation,” he said.
On the aerospace industry, the minister said while the general public may have taken the idea of a flying car in a joking manner, it would be a reality in the near future.
“We need to think out of the box. Japan has done it, the Emiratis have done it. What is wrong with us doing this? Malaysia has been a huge player in the aerospace industry. We can do it,” he said.
In terms of stumbling blocks that MED faced in executing its plans, Mohd Redzuan said the ministry is lucky in the sense that it does not have any former legacy.
“Today, we are focused on our target and have realigned our efforts to empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and our job is to strengthen the (ministry’s) core (activities) and refine the execution,” he said.
Since MED was disbanded back in 2009 and only re-established two months after PH came into power, Mohd Redzuan said during the absence of the ministry, many things were not streamlined for entrepreneurs.
“There were issues but we are on track and optimistic that we will reach our final destination, which is to increase the contribution of SMEs to 41 per cent of gross domestic product by 2020,” he added. — Bernama
