Digi business marketing and operations head Steven Soon (second from left) delivering his speech as (from left) Johor South SME Association advisor Teh Kee Sin, RHB Bank Bhd commercial banking head Azlina Safian and PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd chief operating officer P’ng Tean Hau look on duri...
One for the album: (From left) Teh, Soon, Azlina and P’ng posing for photograph after their panel discussion session at the SOBA LAB programme at Trove Hotel in Johor Baru.JOHOR BARU: Digitalisation is the way forward for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and they have to start planning now,...
Unofficial figures show that some 300,000 Malaysians commute daily from Johor to Singapore to work. — FilepicJOHOR BARU: The state government is looking at the positive angle when it comes to the high number of Malaysians, including Johoreans, working in Singapore.Johor education, human resour...
An SME expo showcasing the productsKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's small business sector experienced positive business conditions in 2018 and confidence in business and economic growth is at its highest point since 2012, according to new survey data released today by CPA Australia. The findings from CPA A...
KUALA LUMPUR: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should capitalise on the RM517mil funding made available by Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd’s (MIDF) and Malaysian Technology Development Corp (MTDC) under the Soft Loan Scheme for Automation and Modernisation (SLSAM).MIDF group ma...
PETALING JAYA: Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is tabling Budget 2019 in Parliament, the first federal budget by the Pakatan Harapan government.The tabling of the Supply Bill (Budget) 2019 will commence before Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, and will be debated by the Members of Par...
Najib: Further Asean Integration Means Advent Of New Economic Power
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Thursday said further integration in ASEAN will lead to the world witnessing the emergence of a new economic power in Southeast Asia.
"I say new, because although our economies have been trade and commercial hubs for centuries, we are today creating an economic union unlike anything since the days of empire," he said.
In realising that, the Prime Minister said ASEAN's priority must be to ensure that integration leads to equitable wealth creation and distribution as well as deepen financial integration and inclusion.
"We must ensure that all sectors of our economies are fully engaged in the ASEAN Community," he said in his keynote address at the ASEAN CAP10 CEO Summit here Thursday.
Najib said an economically integrated ASEAN benefits all of its member states with freer movement of goods, services, skilled labour and capital.
He said ASEAN is projected to have 125 million households with an income of over US$7,500 (RM26,826) in the next 10 years, and would be the seventh largest economy in the world, with a combined gross domestic product expected to reach US$4 trillion (RM14.3 trillion) by 2020, if it were a single country.
The establishment of ASEAN as a single market and production base would also unlock the potential to level the playing field with the world's biggest economies, he stressed.
"Harmonising and standardising trade and customs, processes and procedures will reduce transaction costs, making ASEAN even more attractive as an investment location and enhance export competitiveness.
"Liberalising the financial services sector while ensuring responsible investment and sustainability will further increase investor confidence, stability and growth," he said.
Najib said Malaysia, as Chair of the Association this year, would continue to work closely with other member states to ensure that ASEAN delivers on key initiatives.
Malaysia will be recommending at the 26th ASEAN Summit in April that an enhanced ASEAN secretariat be deployed to ensure member states work together to craft and implement its post-2015 agenda.
"Malaysia will play a key role in building a stronger, more prosperous, more open Southeast Asia," Najib said.