‘Don’t use Mara as political ammo’

KUALA LUMPUR: Mara should not be meddled with or be used as “political ammunition”, but should be empowered further to ensure that it continues to play its role in helping people.

United Malay Economic Action Council Bhd (MTEM) chief executive officer Ahmad Yazid Othman said Mara possessed a clear mission, vision and objective, which was to develop successful, innovative entrepreneurs and produce human capital with integrity.

He said MTEM was against any idea to “split up” Mara between several ministries and urged the government to review such a decision.

“Mara should not be disturbed. Instead, its role should be refined and empowered further so that it becomes a model human capital development institution.

“This is because its establishment was based on the Constitution and, as such, it should be protected and respected.

“However, if any separation is to be done, MTEM recommends that Mara be placed under the Economic Affairs Ministry, headed by Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

“His leadership, coupled with strategic economic planning, can develop the agency further,” he said.

Yazid was responding to a statement by former Mara chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who is also Umno secretary-general, on the possibility that Mara could be “carved up and divided” among several ministries.

Annuar had said on Twitter that Mara could be divided among the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, the Entrepreneurial Development Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Department, as well as the Economic Affairs Ministry.

Association of Bumiputera Women in Business and Profession (Peniagawati) president Datuk Azlin Ahmad Shaharbi said the government must ensure that Mara’s functions and objectives were upheld in the event that it was split up.

She said she was confident that the division of Mara among the ministries would be followed up by improvements and upgrades to bolster the agency’s effectiveness.

“The government must have solid reasons as to why Mara needs to be split up. However, as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), we want the government to ensure that the agency’s role and objective is preserved.

“Logically, questions over an agency’s effectiveness will arise if it is split up and divided among different ministries.”

Azlin said Peniagawati, at 38, is among Malaysia’s oldest NGOs, and had more than 2,000 members nationwide.

She said the NGO would support the government’s decision to develop entrepreneurship and further the role of Bumiputera women in business.

“On the issue of Mara, the views and involvement of NGOs should not be sidelined, seeing that we best understand the needs and wants of the people, especially entrepreneurs.”

Mara should not be disturbed. Instead, its role should be refined and empowered further so that it becomes a model human capital development institution. AHMAD YAZID OTHMAN

United Malay Economic Action Council Bhd chief executive officer