Boosting Business Competitiveness

The New Straits Times, 4 October, 2007.

MEMBERS of the public can give views and suggestions to the Special Task Force To Facilitate Business (PEMUDAH) on ways of improving efficiency and competitiveness of doing business in the country.

PEMUDAH has promised to respond to all the feedback in three days.

Chief Secretary to the government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, who is also PEMUDAH co-chair, said this will help ensure meaningful improvement to the business framework in Malaysia.

“PEMUDAH'S vision is to enhance the competitiveness of our economy such that the man in the street feels as affluent as the people in the business community.

“Based on PEMUDAH'S ‘no wrong door policy', all the feedback will receive a response and no feedback will be turned away,” he said in a statement released in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

“Views can be submitted through the task force website www.pemudah.gov.my.

Meanwhile, companies in the manufacturing sector and hotel industry can expect faster licence applications when PEMUDAH completes its Business Licensing Electonic Support Services (BLESS).

This is to establish a one-stop channel to streamline and speed up the application process of business licences.

Mohd Sidek said besides simplifying the process, the Bless initiative will also reduce time to issue licences and the number of licences needed.

Bless will be implemented in stages, where it will first address the needs of the manufacturing sector and the hotel industry. Later, it will move on to other sectors.

According to him, the initiative will be a significant improvement in the delivery system for companies doing business in Malaysia .

“It essentially provides a seamless front to licence applications; something that took a long time in the past,” he added.

ohd Sidek said since its formation eight months ago, the task force – a collaboration between the private and public sector members – has made significant improvements to ease the setting up and running of businesses for local and foreign companies.