MalaysiaBiz Portal boosts business
It fulfils aspirations of the business community by providing information on registration and licensing
THE ever prevalence of globalisation has caused great uncertainties to the development of the international economic landscape. Many countries, including Malaysia, have been striving to consolidate their micro- and macroeconomic strategies in sustaining the country’s economic growth.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have always contributed significantly to Malaysia’s economic growth through the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The contribution has increased from 33.1 per cent in 2013 to 36.3 per cent last year.
By 2020, the government aims to achieve a contribution of 41 per cent to the GDP by SMEs. As such, the government has produced a blueprint in empowering SMEs — the SME Masterplan 2012-2020.
The Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu), under the Prime Minister’s Department (JPM) as the agency entrusted in modernising and transforming government service delivery system, has developed a one-stop business licensing and registration information portal — the MalaysiaBiz Portal.
Being the only one of its kind, this portal is a quick win of the SME High Impact Programme 1 (SME HIP 1): Integration of business registration and licensing under the SME Masterplan 20122020.
The realisation of this portal is indeed a game changer for the business community, as they are able to obtain the most updated and precise business registration and licensing information via a single gateway.
The portal can be accessed via the URL: malaysiabiz.mampu.gov.my. In fact, the MalaysiaBiz Portal is fully developed by Mampu’s internal expertise.
On June 23 last year, the portal was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in conjunction with the 20th National SME Development Council Meeting.
The most special feature of the MalaysiaBiz Portal is that business licensing information is displayed horizontally across different licensing authorities.
This portal showcases licensing information for as many as 1,174 business activities from different economic categories, according to the Malaysia Standard Industrial Classification 2008 (MSIC 2008).
As a result of the close cooperation between Mampu, the state governments and 508 licensing authorities, a total of 2,919 different types of business licences have been recorded in the portal for the public’s reference, as of June 30 this year.
The adoption of the National Blue Ocean Strategy by Malaysia’s public sector has considerably reduced silo practices among government officials.
This has enabled the strategic collaboration of SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp Malaysia), Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) and the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) under JPM in developing MalaysiaBiz Portal.
The business registration information on the portal was made complete with the assistance of 10 business registration bodies, namely SSM, Malaysia Co-operative Societies Commission, Board of Architects Malaysia, Board of Engineers Malaysia, Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia, Land Surveyors Board, Malaysian Institute of Accountants, Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Malaysia, Malaysian Bar as well as Private Medical Practice Control Section under the Health Ministry.
Due to the strategic collaboration of these agencies, the portal has become informative and interactive
for the public.
In facing the ever-changing technological advancements as well as the demands and expectations of consumers, government officials need to constantly innovate and instil new elements into the public service delivery system. The sustainability of MalaysiaBiz Portal can be ensured if only a consolidated and conducive ecosystem is available.
Only through this can each cent be spent wisely for the benefits of the people, in particular, the business community.
In order to promote the portal to the greater public via different platforms and media, initiatives have been planned and will be executed in the future. At the same time, a few Rakan Informasi Lesen (RIL) from each licensing authority have been elected as the person in charge to update the information in the portal to ensure that the information is always up-to-date and error-free for the public.
The ultimate goal of SME HIP 1 is to enable users to register their business and apply for business licenses online through a single portal.
Currently, MalaysiaBiz Portal is only an information portal. Nevertheless,
the expansion to a fully functional portal, where application and registration can be done online, will be carried out in two phases starting this year. The second phase will commence in 2019 until its completion in 2020.
MalaysiaBiz Portal, which acts as a new benchmark in the public service delivery system, is the testimony of the government’s effort in benefiting the business community.
It is hoped that with the aid of MalaysiaBiz Portal, SMEs can gain more support and, hence, contribute more prominently to the country’s economy through the rise in GDP.