BEBC Penampang to promote local businesses
PENAMPANG: BIMP-EAGA Business Council (BEBC) Sabah chairman Carl Moosom officially welcomed district councillors of BEBC Sabah Penampang District yesterday.
Also present at the meeting was BEBC Sabah executive secretary Junzuenn Basalan. The first BEBC Sabah Penampang District meeting was held at U.N.E Trading Sdn Bhd, Penampang.
Michael Chin, who is the managing director for U.N.E Trading Sdn Bhd, has been appointed as chairman of BEBC Sabah Penampang District (BEBC Penampang).
His district councillors include Benjamin Golimbi (Head of Tourism Cluster), Michael Banabas (Head of Trade and Investment Facilitation Cluster (TIF)), Tan Siew Ling (Head of Agribusiness Cluster), Brett Chua (Head of ICT Infrastructure Cluster), Alvin Choo (Head of Socio-Cultural Education Cluster) and Willie Lo (TIF Statistics).
During the meeting, BEBC Sabah chairman Carl Moosom, who was once the chairman for BEBC Penampang, before his recognition as the Sabah state's chairman, congratulated the establishment of BEBC Penampang.
“Before this I started the Tourism Working Group in BEBC Penampang. I tried to facilitate and promote local businesses to grow in Penampang via BEBC. Today I am very happy and proud to handover BEBC Penampang to Michael and together with a team of council members assembled.
“I am confident that Michael and all of you present here today, through our BIMP-EAGA platform, will make a great team and will make Penampang great.”
With the establishment of BEBC Penampang, Moosom also added that he wished to see value added measurement among the local businesses here.
“For example, Brett Chua who is the owner of CKS Supermarket may create a special category aisle in his supermarket that sells consumable products from the BIMP region.”
In the meeting, Moosom also explained that in BEBC there are 5 pillars namely: Food Basket, Connectivity, Tourism, Environment and Socio-cultural Education (SCE).
“Under these five pillars, there are eight clusters which consist of Agribusiness, Transport, TIF, ICT, Power and Energy, Tourism, Environment and SCE.”
Moosom repeated his speech in recent BEBC Tawau installation night to welcome more industry players to join in their programs so BIMP region will better realise a market that will reach Penampang and throughout Sabah and beyond.
“We are a platform that is government driven where regulatory issues are for the private sector serving as the engine of growth and the public sector taking on an enabling role.”
The function of BEBC Penampang councillors, or any BEBC Sabah District councillors, are mainly to facilitate local businesses that wish to expand its business to the BIMP-EAGA by providing a direction and offer policy guidance.
“Most importantly we require your experience more than your product. It's the synergy of business and interest that will create more and deliver better feedbacks so together we can maintain a sustainable business environment for our districts,” according to Moosom in his closing remarks.
After Tawau and Penampang, Moosom added few more identified districts would have a similar setup and prepare everyone to attend the 2019 regional meetings.