FSI hails revival of barter trade
KOTA KINABALU: The Federation of Sabah (FSI) Industries has hailed the decision of the Sabah state government to revive the barter trade in the interest of small and medium enterprise (SME) development, particularly to help the bumiputras as a special area of interest.
Datuk Mohd Basri Abdul Gafar who has helmed FSI for the last three years, fought hard for barter trade ties in the interest of Sabah with Kalimantan, having established business ties there in the interest of BIMP-EAGA success.
“Security measures must support economic interests, not hinder business ties,” he urged, adding that FSI backed the government’s drive to encourage downstream economic development starting with the ban on the export of logs.
He said that he had struggled to maintain FSI (formerly known as FSM) as a Sabah-based organisation against the move to make FSI affiliated to Peninsulabased FMM as he believed that Sabah businesses or industries, like the barter trade, have their own unique needs and challenges that can only be understood and addressed by local entities.
It is also in the interest of market penetration and expansion that all stakeholders should support regional linkages with Kalimantan, Palawan, Mindanao, Brunei, Sarawak and Singapore including through barter trade ties to anchor Sabah as the ‘Hub for the Far East’ to make Borneo a food basket for the world.
Basri called for the successful establishment of a Digital Free Trade Zone at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and urged local logistics providers to improve and to support e-commerce progress as well as in collaboration with Bumiputra SMEs. He has successful applied for a grant from Teraju to aid Bumiputra entrepreneurs.
He said FSI, under his leadership, had spoken up loud and clear on the high costs of doing business in Sabah, particularly on costs of water and electricity, minimum wage, Employees Insurance Scheme (EIS), GST, quit rent at KKIP land, and supply of alternative forms of energy like gas.
Basri wants the new Sabah government to ensure completion of key infrastructure to facilitate business like the Sapangar Bay Port expansion, Sabah as an aviation hub, Pan Borneo Highway and the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
He handed over the FSI presidency to his deputy Datuk Chong Hon Len during the 31st annual general meeting on Saturday as he wanted to take a sabbatical.
Basri joined FSM in 1995 before it became FSI and was elected as a council member a year later. He rose from rank and file to become vice president, deputy president and finally president in 2015.
As a strong proponent and advocate of expanding the membership scope of FSM, from just among manufacturers to include other businesses in all industries, Basri was instrumental in the consensus to change the FSM name to FSI as well as in expanding the organisational structure of FSI from one president, one deputy president and two vice presidents to one president, three deputy presidents and six vice presidents upon becoming president in 2015.
Basri introduced and implemented key performance index (KPI) for all FSI council members including the president. Membership has increased over the past year and visits to members’ premises are ongoing led by office bearers.
Like his predecessor Datuk Wong Khen Thau who saw FSI’s long drawn out struggle against the Cabotage policy resulting in partial liberalisation of the policy, under Basri’s tenure, the policy was suspended by the Federal government pending a year’s study for review.