Kuskop holds engagement session with Sarawak govt on proposed new Cooperatives Act
KUCHING (July 30): The Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (Kuskop) today held a stakeholder engagement session with the Sarawak government to present and gather feedback on the proposed new Cooperatives Act.
Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said the session, held at a hotel here, was attended by Sarawak deputy ministers, state assembly members, and government officials.
'Today, I was joined by officers from the ministry — the Secretary-General, Deputy Secretaries-General, Division Secretaries, Legal Advisors, and the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM) — for a briefing session with the Sarawak government on the proposed new Cooperatives Act.
'The Sarawak government submitted several views and proposals, and this session forms part of our nationwide engagement exercise,' he told a press conference after his visit to Sungai Apong Market here.
Ewon said the proposed Act is the result of two studies conducted in 2023, along with a series of engagement sessions held with cooperatives and state governments across the country.
'I hope the outcome of these engagements will help ensure that the new Cooperatives Act, which I intend to table for its first reading in Parliament at the end of this year, followed by the second and third readings in the March session next year, will be the best possible Act.
'On behalf of the ministry, I would like to thank the Sarawak government and all elected representatives who participated in this morning's session,' he said.
He added that the main goals of the proposed amendments are to improve the operational effectiveness of the cooperative movement and to strengthen SKM as the sector's primary regulatory authority.
'There will be many new provisions introduced, while some existing ones will be retained and others improved,' he added.
Also present during the visit were Sarawak Deputy Minister of International Trade, Industry and Investment, Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh; Kuskop secretary-general Dato Sri Khairul Dzaimee Daud; and Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng. Cooperatives Act engagement session Ewon Benedick KUSKOP
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