Throughout the engagement period, the dialogue addressed a score of issues raised by industry players, which relate to incentives, aerospace, automotive, textile, the fourth industrial revolution , trade facilitation and Asean.
In terms of strategic direction, Miti is in the midst of planning to formulate a new industrial masterplan post-2020. Among the focused areas are the sustainable development of industries, which includes green technology initiatives along the horizontal and vertical value chain of the manufacturing sector.
Highlighting the industry’s call to simplify various processes for applications in order to make them more straightforward and less costly, Seo said that one of the issues raised in the session was the application process for foreign labour, as it was a challenge that all businesses in the country are constantly grappling with.
Apart from Leiking, present at the event were Deputy Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye and Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok, as well as Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin, Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chien Jen and Deputy Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Wira Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli.
Kok, on the other hand, delved into the issue further by noting that such initiatives must be driven by the people and not the government alone to create lasting impact. Chiming in, Mohd Hatta shared that the Malaysia Halal Expo, jointly organised by MED and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department , is among the initiatives undertaken by the government to promote local products.