Ease requirements for printing firms to get govt tenders – association
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Printers Association has appealed to the federal government to ease the requirement that only 100 per cent bumiputera-owned printing companies are eligible for government tenders.
Its executive advisor Datuk Seri Dr Ling Hie Sing hoped that the government would consider accepting tender applications from printing companies with 25 per cent non-bumiputera stake as well.
Ling, who is also the deputy chairman of Malaysia Printers Association Sabah branch, said the previous administration had given priority for wholly owned bumiputera companies in the tender for printing services.
“This is very unfair to nonbumiputeras as we do not have the chance of bidding for government printing tenders even though we are Malaysian citizens,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
He claimed that this requirement had been imposed for over a decade.
Since the Chinese constitutes about 25 per cent of the total population in the country, Ling hoped that the government would consider allowing printing companies with a minimum of 75 per cent bumiputera stake to join government tenders.
He added that 70 per cent of the total 45 printing houses in Sabah were owned by the Chinese.
He also hoped that the state government would give opportunities to non-bumiputera printing companies to apply for government tenders.
Ling said he would be submitting a memorandum on this matter to the Malaysia Printers Association in its meeting on June 3 in Kuala Lumpur for the association to reflect the issue to the federal government.
Also present was Sabah Printers Association president Pang Siew Phin@Josephine.