KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced an allocation of RM6 million for Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd (Angkasa) to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country.
Of the total, he said RM2 million would be adjusted from the Rahmah Sale allocation under the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) for Angkasa to intensify cooperative activities, and another RM2 million would be adjusted from the Sejati MADANI Programme allocation under the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) for cooperatives in MADANI villages.
“We have MADANI villages with mosque committees, as well as associations of youth and women. I want cooperatives to also be in that group with RM2 million to be channelled by Angkasa,” he said when officiating the closing ceremony of National Cooperatives Congress 2024 here today.
Anwar said RM1 million will be set aside as a new allocation for the ASEAN Cooperatives programme throughout Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN chairmanship as he wanted the cooperative movement to be one of ASEAN’s important agendas next year.
“The participation of cooperatives (in the ASEAN agenda) is important to strengthen cooperative movement at the international level,” he said, adding that Angkasa president Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Fattah Abdullah is also the current chairman of the ASEAN Cooperative Organisation (ACO).
Anwar said RM500,000 from the total allocation is for mosque cooperatives in the rural areas, while the remaining RM500,000 is for Angkasa to carry out competency-enhancing training for rural cooperatives.
In his speech, the Prime Minister also stressed the importance of all government machinery to help drive the nationwide cooperative movement under the MADANI Economy framework as the efforts should not be left to be implemented by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperatives alone.
He said that although the national cooperatives’ revenue has increased to RM64 billion, there is still room for improvement so that the Malaysian cooperative movement can be at par with other countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Finland.
“My hope is high and there is no reason why we cannot bring our country and our (Asian) region to greater heights. We have a great foundation,” he said.
Present at the event were Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Datuk Ewon Benedick, Deputy Minister Datuk Ramanan Ramakrishnan, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali and Abdul Fattah.
Meanwhile, Ewon told reporters that the announcement was in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment to see cooperatives in this country become one of the biggest contributors to the economy.
“I am very confident that the allocation can be fully utilised by Angkasa and the cooperative movement in Malaysia. The ministry will always monitor and facilitate this effort and try to achieve the Prime Minister’s aspirations,” he said.
Abdul Fattah, on the other hand, expressed gratitude for the allocation announced by the Prime Minister to raise the dignity of cooperatives to become one of the instruments that the government can use to address the rising cost of living issues.
“When the Prime Minister announced the allocation for the ASEAN Cooperative programme, this shows that Angkasa is not only asked to play an important role at the national but also international level.
“This is a good start because Malaysia also chairs the Cooperative Union for Countries Under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OICCU),” he added.
