KUCHING: Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has revealed plans for a business-friendly nation following his appointment as Federal Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister. In a statement, one of his first initiatives would be to improve his ministry through the betterment of previous governmental implementations.He said various existing agencies previously established under his ministry would complement small and medium enterprises (SME) and small and medium industries (SMI) in terms of funding for business purposes and providing capital.He added that some other agencies in his ministry would monitor the implementation of cooperatives for SMEs and SMIs."I can see that it's all there, implemented by our previous governments. This is why our country was moving forward in the field of business industries."HoWever, the current business environment has changed, which is why the government is putting in the works to become a business-friendly nation to facilitate businesses'and developing methods to ease the process of establishing businesses in the country."The officers in charge of these agencies have years of experience within their

respective agencies and had been successful all these years. "But what we are looking for now is how to make it even better under the present business environment," he told the press after arriving at Kuching International Airport here on Wednesday evening.Wan lunaidi said these were all included in his research on developing a busifgss-friendly nation.He also planned to expedite and properly monitor the approval of licence and permit applications for business purposes."If these processes are expedited and the red tapes are reduced, our nation could be more competitive compared to other countries."This ministry was developed to help our local people. That is why in the short time since I began monitoring it, I could see that we have it all there," he explained.He had conducted a discussion with the National Professors Council (MPN) to figure out ways to establish the country in the new business environment with the existing agencies under his ministry.Wan Junaidi was also pleased to learn that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's emphasis on the dynamics of economic development was in unison with his ministry's vision.

Wan Junaidi discussing something with SME Corp Sarawak director Ismail Hashim and ministry staff members during a press conference at Kuching International Airport. Photo: Ghazali Bujang